Korean Job Discussion Forums

[shostahoosier]

Any recommendations for cheap airline tickets to China? Specifically to Shanghai?

I see that tickets are usually cheap, however, in the past when I try to actually pay for them, I got an error message and then the price jumped a few hundred dollars.

It seems like the discount airlines in Korea are all aimed at southern destinations.

[Gamecock]

Try China Southern Airlines. I'm not sure about Shanghai flights. China Southern doesn't show up on any airlines search engines or the Korean travel websites. They have an office in Seoul and Busan and you can buy directly from them (google is your friend).

In my experience, their flights to China are easily 50% less than the Korean airlines. It's a good, safe airline.

[Jake_Kim]

Economy class seats that most people consider identical are actually divided into half a dozen ticket classes depending on restrictions imposed, the cheapest of which gets sold out first, oftentimes months in advance. Hence 'cheap quotes, no availability.'
China Southern usually offers the most attractive fares indeed, but buying directly from them doesn't necessarily guarantee the cheapest theoretically possible, assuming you're booking sufficiently in advance. BTW, CZ DOES APPEAR on major online flight search engines of Korean agencies - Onlinetour, Top Travel, Interpark, etc.

[Enigma]

I've checked prices to some Chinese cities on Kayak several times, and for some cities, China Southern is always displayed as way cheaper. However when I'm passed through to their website and try to book, that price is not available and it's always several hundred dollars more expensive for the exact same flight. I've yet to be able to purchase a cheap ticket on China Southern.

[Enigma]

Just to clarify my above post, it's always several hundred dollars more than the original price quoted, not more expensive than other airlines.
I would check China Eastern Airlines as Shanghai is one of their main hubs and they have a lot of flights between there and Incheon.

[Gamecock]

I may be a bit behind the times concerning my advice of China Southern. 2.5 years ago when I moved from Korea to China I flew China Southern for 220,000 (one way) including all taxes. At that time they were not listed on any of the travel websites and I couldn't even get a quote online from them. However, when I walked into their office and inquired about prices, I was pleasantly surprised and bought a ticket on the spot.