Domestic flights in China

When flying beats the train

The rule of thumb: high-speed rail wins for routes under 1,200–1,500 km between well-connected cities; flying wins for longer distances and for reaching western China. More specifically:

**Fly when**: - The destination is Lhasa, Urumqi, Kashgar, Hailar, Haikou, Sanya, or any city where the rail journey exceeds 10 hours. - The route crosses a major mountain range or other geographical barrier where the HSR track doesn't exist yet. - The rail option requires a multi-leg connection adding more than 3 hours to the journey. - You are travelling during Spring Festival, when trains sell out weeks in advance.

**Take the train when**: - Beijing–Shanghai (4h 28m train vs 2h flight + 90 minutes × 2 airport time = effectively slower by air). - Any route under 800 km between cities on the main HSR spine (Shanghai–Nanjing, Guangzhou–Shenzhen, Xi'an–Chengdu). - You prefer to avoid airports, or your accommodation is near a train station.

Major carriers

**The Big Four (state airlines)**: - **Air China (CA)** — flag carrier, Beijing Capital hub. Strong international connections and domestic network. Service quality is functional. - **China Eastern (MU)** — Shanghai Pudong hub. Extensive domestic and international network. Alliance: SkyTeam. - **China Southern (CZ)** — Guangzhou Baiyun hub. Largest fleet in Asia. Useful hub for Southeast Asia connections. Alliance: SkyTeam. - **Hainan Airlines (HU)** — Haikou hub. The only major Chinese private airline (partially); generally considered the strongest in-cabin service among the four. Alliance: none (formerly associated with OneWorld).

**Secondary carriers**: - **Spring Airlines (9C)** — low-cost, Shanghai Pudong base. Useful for cheap hops. Restricted baggage. - **Juneyao Airlines (HO)** — mid-range, Shanghai. Cleaner product than the state budget carriers. - **Sichuan Airlines (3U)** — Chengdu hub. Good network for southwest China. - **Lucky Air (8L)** — Yunnan-focused. Useful for Dali, Lijiang, Jinghong connections. - **9 Air (AQ)** — budget, Guangzhou base. - **Chongqing Airlines (OQ)** — Chongqing hub.

For most domestic routes, the booking algorithm matters more than carrier loyalty — prices vary wildly by date, time, and sale status.

Booking: where and how

Trip.com (international face of Ctrip): The most reliable platform for foreign visitors. English interface. Accepts international Visa and Mastercard reliably. Shows all carriers. Often offers additional protection for cancellations and changes compared with booking direct.

Ctrip (携程): The Chinese-language app of the same company. Sometimes has lower prices than Trip.com due to domestic promotional pricing. Worth checking both.

Carrier websites: Air China, China Eastern, China Southern all have English websites. Useful for direct booking with miles programmes. Foreign card acceptance on carrier websites is less reliable than Trip.com.

Alipay and WeChat mini-programmes: The booking mini-programmes inside Alipay and WeChat Pay sometimes offer lower fares via in-app promotions. Navigating them requires reading Chinese; a Chinese-speaking contact is useful.

Fliggy (飞猪): Alibaba's travel platform. Chinese-language; occasionally has unique deals.

Ticket types and change fees

Chinese domestic flights are typically sold in three to five fare buckets: - **Economy discount (Y class 80% down to 40%)**: Non-refundable or refundable with large penalty. - **Flexible economy**: Refundable and changeable closer to departure. - **Business/first class**: Usually flexible.

Buy flexible if your schedule is uncertain — Chinese domestic airline change fees on discount tickets can be 50% of the fare or more.

At the airport: step by step

1. **Arrive**: 90 minutes before domestic departure; 2 hours is more comfortable if you're unfamiliar with the airport. Major airports (Beijing Capital PEK, Pudong PVG, Guangzhou CAN) are very large — terminal transit alone can take 15–20 minutes. 2. **Check-in**: Online check-in is standard for Chinese carriers — do this 24h before departure via the app or website. Self-service kiosks at the airport work for domestic e-tickets. Staff counters for checked baggage. 3. **Security**: ID check (passport scan), baggage X-ray. Liquids: 100ml per container, totalling 1L in a transparent bag. Power banks under 100Wh in cabin only; anything larger is prohibited. 4. **Boarding**: Boarding typically begins 30 minutes before departure. Gates close 10–15 minutes before departure.

Disruption: planning around delays

China's domestic aviation network has a genuine delay problem. The causes are layered: military airspace restrictions (civilian routes frequently reroute around military zones), weather in summer monsoon season (June–September in the south and centre), and congestion at major hubs.

**OTP (on-time performance) by season**: - January–March: moderate delays (winter weather in north) - June–September: worst delays (typhoon season south, thunderstorms east) - October–November: generally good - Around Golden Week (early October): high volume but not exceptional delays

Practical strategy: For time-sensitive connections, do not book a domestic flight with less than 90 minutes before an international departure from a different terminal. At Beijing Capital in particular, domestic arrivals to T3 and international departures from T3 international are manageable; domestic to T2 then international T3 requires 2+ hours buffer.

Flight delay insurance is sold during the booking process on Trip.com and Ctrip for a small add-on fee (¥20–50). Worth buying in summer or when connections are tight.

Checked baggage allowances

Standard domestic economy: 20 kg checked bag (some carriers 23 kg on longer domestic routes); 5–8 kg carry-on. Low-cost carriers (Spring Airlines) charge extra for bags. Business class typically 30 kg. Check your carrier's specific allowance when booking.