As the National Day holiday came to a close, the travel peak receded and airfare prices took a sharp dive.

Departing from major source cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, many routes have base fares falling to just two to three hundred yuan.

Reporters learned from online travel platforms that domestic airfare prices dropped noticeably 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 National Day holiday.

Looking at specific routes, departing from major source cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou in Guangdong, base fares on many popular routes have fallen into the range of two to three hundred yuan: Beijing to Lanzhou, Gansu, starts at just 200 yuan; Shanghai to Lijiang is also as low as 200 yuan; Beijing to Urumqi, Xinjiang, starts at 300 yuan; and Guangzhou to Chengdu, Sichuan, starts at 309 yuan. Even after adding airport construction and fuel surcharges, such prices still offer great value for money.

A traveler told reporters that during the National Day holiday, they had checked round-trip tickets from Beijing to Urumqi, when prices were as high as over 4,000 yuan. Considering the fare, they moved their travel plans to after the holiday and ultimately purchased tickets departing on October 13 and returning on October 20. Even including airport construction and fuel surcharges, the total round-trip price was only around 1,000 yuan.

Fuel surcharges to rise starting on the 10th

Recently, several airlines announced that starting October 10, domestic route fuel surcharges will be increased: passengers on segments over 800 kilometers will be charged 90 yuan, and those on segments of 800 kilometers or less will be charged 50 yuan, increases of 20 yuan and 10 yuan respectively. Tickets issued on or before October 9 will still be charged at the original rate. In other words, passengers who buy tickets on October 9 can still save an additional 10 to 20 yuan per ticket.

Autumn break takes over as family travel bookings rise

In November, primary and middle school students in many parts of China will enjoy an autumn break, making family travel popular once again. Many travelers have already begun locking in low-priced post-holiday tickets in advance. Data shows that bookings for advance-purchase tickets departing from cities such as Chengdu in Sichuan, Nanjing in Jiangsu, Beijing, and Shanghai for the period from October 15 to November 15 increased by 40% month-on-month.