On October 2nd, the second day of the “National Day” holiday in mainland China, the prices of multiple flight routes have decreased. For instance, the base fare for a morning flight from Beijing to Kunming, excluding taxes, dropped from 1927 yuan to 884 yuan, a decrease of approximately 54% from the previous day. However, the return tickets on some popular routes are still maintaining high prices.
According to reports from mainland Chinese media, data released on October 2nd by the online travel booking platform “Qunar” showed that the average airfare on the platform had dropped by 20% compared to the previous day.
Based on the daily average airfare displayed on the platform, prices for October 3rd and 4th were even lower, gradually increasing from the 5th onwards, reaching the highest on the 7th, and then dropping again on the 8th and 9th.
Information from the platform indicated that the base fare for a morning flight from Beijing to Kunming, excluding taxes, was 1927 yuan on October 1st, which decreased to 884 yuan the next day. On October 3rd, the lowest fare for flights included Beijing to Harbin at 300 yuan, Shanghai to Xi’an at 350 yuan, Wuhan to Tianjin at 385 yuan, and Guangzhou to Qingdao at 500 yuan.
Quotations for round-trip flights from Beijing to Urumqi showed that on October 3rd, the lowest fare for departures from Beijing was 500 yuan, while for return flights from Urumqi to Beijing on October 7th, the lowest fare was 2360 yuan. If the return date was changed to the 9th, the lowest fare dropped to 964 yuan.
The return dates of October 7th and 9th differed by two days, with a price difference of 1396 yuan for the lowest fare. The lowest fare for the Urumqi to Beijing flight on the 7th was approximately 4.7 times higher than the lowest fare for the Beijing to Urumqi flight on the 3rd.
An article by “The Paper” on October 2nd mentioned that airlines usually adjust ticket prices based on factors such as passenger load and revenue. Holiday travel flows typically concentrate at the beginning and end of the holiday period, with relatively lower prices in the middle.
The report stated that some airlines had previously overestimated holiday travel demand and lowered prices to sell off remaining seats when actual ticket bookings did not meet expectations. Individual ultra-low fares may also be specific short-term promotions for designated routes.
The fluctuation in ticket prices has sparked discussions among internet users. One Weibo user expressed that the low prices during the midsection of the holiday are suitable for spontaneous trips, stating, “It’s so satisfying to travel on short notice.” Another netizen reminded others that cheaper one-way tickets do not necessarily mean that round-trip prices are equally affordable, advising, “Always check the total round-trip fare when booking tickets.”