Book flights: all airlines in one place

Two main ways to buy: direct on the airline site, or compare on platforms like Trip.com first. The same flight often prices differently across channels — especially promo fares and connections.

Below are the booking pages for the major carriers, or use the button above for a combined search.

Three channels dominate: airline websites/apps, OTA platforms (Trip.com etc.), and offline agents. Airlines give the clearest change/refund rules and member-only fares; platforms put dozens of carriers in one list, surface connection combos airlines never show, and add their own support layer. A practical rule: compare on a platform, then book wherever the total (fare + bags + fees) is genuinely lower — like for like.

Domestic fares bottom out 2–6 weeks before departure and climb sharply in the final week; for Chinese New Year and Golden Week add a month. International sweet spots come earlier: 1–2 months for Southeast Asia, 2–4 for Europe, North America and Australia. Midweek departures undercut Friday/Sunday, and dawn or red-eye flights run 10–30% below prime time.

Airline member days (CEA on the 18th, CSA on the 28th) release discounted inventory monthly; LCC flash sales (Spring, Scoot, HK Express) are the deepest cuts if your dates can chase the price.

Within economy, booking classes (Y, B, M, H…) carry very different change fees and mileage accrual. Before paying, check three things: change fee, refund fee, and whether rerouting to another carrier is allowed. If plans may move, a slightly dearer flexible fare usually beats paying change fees later.

Also: names must match travel documents exactly; infants (~10% of adult fare) and children (2–12, ~50–75%) must sit on the same booking as an adult; and always ticket connections as one itinerary — self-transfers carry no protection when schedules change.

Mainland channels take Alipay, WeChat Pay and UnionPay; international platforms add Visa/Mastercard. Settling in your card's currency avoids ~1.5% conversion fees. E-tickets normally issue within minutes — if no 13-digit ticket number arrives within 30 minutes, contact the seller.