Not enough travel during the National Day holiday? Don't worry, many flight routes are now cheaper than high-speed rail, and some people have already started stockpiling tickets.
On October 7, reporters learned from online travel platforms that post-holiday airfares have plummeted, with tickets to Xinjiang available for 300 yuan, cheaper than high-speed rail. As the tourist crowd decreases, airfares have clearly fallen. Platform data shows that from October 9 to October 31, the average paid price for air tickets is more than 30% lower than during the National Day holiday period. Among them, average paid prices for flights to popular cities such as Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Changchun have dropped by about 200 yuan compared to the National Day period.
Reporter searches show that within the past week, departing from Beijing, the bare ticket price to Lanzhou is 200 yuan, to Quanzhou 230 yuan, and to Urumqi 300 yuan; departing from Shanghai, flights to Lijiang cost 200 yuan and to Shenyang 300 yuan; departing from Guangzhou, flights to Qingdao cost 259 yuan and to Chengdu 309 yuan. Even adding airport construction and fuel surcharges, the prices remain lower than high-speed rail.
It is worth noting that fuel surcharges will increase, making October 7–9 the best window recently to buy low-priced tickets. It is reported that starting October 10, fuel surcharges will be raised: 90 yuan per passenger for routes over 800 kilometers, and 50 yuan for routes of 800 kilometers or less, an increase of 20 yuan and 10 yuan respectively compared to before. Many travelers are seizing the window to purchase low-priced tickets. On the Qunar platform, on October 6, bookings for future tickets (travel between October 15 and November 15) departing from cities such as Chengdu, Nanjing, Beijing, and Shanghai increased by 40% compared to October 5.
It is understood that in November, primary and secondary school students in multiple cities will have their autumn break. On the Qunar platform, departing from Chengdu, the top three popular autumn break destinations are Guangzhou, Shanghai, and Sanya; departing from Nanjing, the top three are Guangzhou, Zhuhai, and Sanya. Outbound travel ticket prices have also dropped significantly. Low-priced outbound tickets are on sale from multiple cities. In the past week, the lowest price for Beijing-Seoul was 518 yuan, Shanghai-Ho Chi Minh City 460 yuan, Chengdu-Bangkok 286 yuan, and Guangzhou-Kuala Lumpur 329 yuan.
"The National Day holiday had too many people, so I'm waiting to travel off-peak after the holiday, where both value for money and experience will be better," Ye Zi (pseudonym) from Chengdu told reporters. She has already booked a ticket to Shunde, Guangdong, for late October. Would you choose to travel off-peak? Let's chat in the comments~