The National Day holiday has ended, and with the travel peak subsiding, airfares have taken a sharp dive. Departing from major source cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, the base fares on many routes have dropped to just two to three hundred yuan.

According to online travel platforms, domestic airfares have fallen significantly after the holiday. Data monitoring shows that from October 9 to 31, the average paid price for domestic flights was more than 30% lower than during the "October 1st" holiday. Looking at specific routes, departing from major source cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in Guangdong, the base fares on many popular routes have already fallen into the two-to-three-hundred-yuan range: Beijing to Lanzhou in Gansu is as low as just 200 yuan, Shanghai to Lijiang is likewise as low as 200 yuan, Beijing to Urumqi in Xinjiang is at least 300 yuan, and Guangzhou to Chengdu in Sichuan is at least 309 yuan. Even after adding the airport construction fee and fuel surcharge, such prices are still cost-effective.

A passenger told reporters that during the National Day holiday, they had checked the price of a round-trip ticket from Beijing to Urumqi, when the price was as high as over 4,000 yuan. Out of consideration for the ticket price, they moved their travel plan to after the holiday, and ultimately purchased a ticket departing on October 13 and returning on October 20. Even including the airport construction fee and fuel surcharge, the total round-trip price was only around 1,000 yuan.

Fuel Surcharge to Increase Starting the 10th

Recently, multiple airlines have notified that starting October 10, the domestic route fuel surcharge will be raised: 90 yuan per passenger for segments over 800 kilometers, and 50 yuan for segments of 800 kilometers (inclusive) or less, an increase of 20 yuan and 10 yuan respectively. Tickets issued on or before October 9 will still be charged at the original standard. In other words, passengers who buy tickets on October 9 can still save another 10 to 20 yuan per ticket.

Autumn Break Takes Over as Family Travel Bookings Rise

In November, primary and secondary school students in many parts of the country will have their autumn break, and family travel has once again heated up. Many passengers have already begun to lock in low-priced post-holiday tickets in advance. Data shows that for forward-dated tickets departing from cities such as Chengdu in Sichuan, Nanjing in Jiangsu, Beijing, and Shanghai, bookings for October 15 to November 15 increased by 40% month-on-month.