China Air Travel

Before I went to China, I did not want to fly in China.

The good news - that has all changed and I feel quite comfortable flying in China.

The Chinese airlines have modern aeroplanes - usually new Boeing aircraft. They are no different to what we fly in the West - I felt quite safe.

The airports are brand spanking new.

There has been a massive upgrading of airports in recent years.

It is easy to find your way around and signage and announcements are both in Chinese and English. Reservation staff speak English. E-ticketing works well on domestic flights.

If you want an idea of domestic flights, airlines and the cost, have a look at www.elong.net. It gives flight details for all major China air destinations. I used it all the time to plan my travel.

The cost of China air flights vary and often there are significant discounts.

The Chinese often leave booking until the last moment as they wait for the cheapest discount fares to appear. It seemed to work - I didn't have any problems.

Hong Kong is part of China - right?

Well it is BUT for purposes of travelling it is an international country. You have to get on an international flight, need a passport and so on.

Be aware if you want to go from China to Hong Kong and then back to China, you need a multiple entry visa.

It is as if you leave China and come back into it.

People have been caught coming to China on a single entry visa, going to Hong Kong and not being allowed back into China.

It happened to a friend of mine who flew to Hong Kong expecting to be automatically allowed re-entry. He had to stay longer in Hong Kong and get a new visa to re-enter into mainland China.

If you are flying between Chengdu or Chongqing and Hong Kong, you may consider flying internally to Shenzen.

Shenzen is the nearest city on mainland China to Hong Kong. It is less than an hour by ferry between Shenzen and Hong Kong.

Domestic airfares are cheaper than International airfares. If coming or going to Hong Kong from or to mainland China, fly internally from/to Shenzen and catch the ferry from/to Hong Kong. You may save quite a few dollars doing that.

Chinese Airlines

I was only aware of Air China but there are several other major airlines all with modern aircraft.

Sichuan Airlines is a major carrier to and from Chengdu and Chongqing, and within Sichuan.

China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, China United Airlines and Hainan Airlines are some of the other airlines that fly to and from Sichuan. There really is a lot of choice.

Return flights do not really exist as we know it. Fares are quoted for single leg journeys. You book the single leg journeys and pick the best option for each as far as price and availability is concerned.

It is quite possible (though not always the case) that you will fly with one airline to a destination and return on a different airline.