On February 16th, the first day of the Chinese New Year, many Chinese airlines offered significant discounts on tickets to attract customers. In some cases, tickets to popular destinations were even discounted by half, with some prices lower than high-speed train tickets.
In Chinese New Year tradition, there is a saying “stay up late on New Year’s Eve and go out on the second day of the new year.” This year, on the first day of the Chinese New Year, several airlines introduced substantial discounts to attract customers. The first day (February 17th) and the second day (February 18th) of the Chinese New Year are among the days with lower ticket prices, with most popular routes experiencing significant price reductions compared to the peak New Year period. According to a report from the Daily Economic News on February 17th, a ticket from Beijing to Haikou that cost 1999 yuan on February 14th was priced at 792 yuan on the first day of the new year. Furthermore, the prices of some popular flight routes were even cheaper than train tickets, with the lowest ticket price from Beijing to Wuhan being 440 yuan compared to 515 yuan for a high-speed train ticket.
Moreover, tickets with long layover times were also cheaper than direct flights. According to Red Star News, a flight from Harbin to Guangzhou on the second day of the new year with a 21-hour layover in Beijing was 400 yuan cheaper than a direct flight. Due to the lower price, sales of this ticket on the Chinese online travel website “Qunar” increased by 30% compared to previous years.
Qunar’s Big Data Research Institute remarked that unlike previous years, this year, with the holiday starting a day before New Year’s Eve, it has prompted travelers to start their journeys earlier. In past years, the second day of the Chinese New Year was the peak travel day, but this year, it has been shifted to the first day.