After the Spring Festival holiday, news of a "big plunge" in air ticket prices spread on major social platforms.
"Air tickets from Shanghai to Sanya have dropped by more than 50%" "The fare from Shanghai to Qingdao is only 14 yuan"... There is a surge of low-price air tickets, and some netizens even posted that air tickets from Shanghai to Japan are free.
However, the reporter's investigation found that these exciting "special tickets" are often accompanied by strict conditions, such as "no free baggage allowance" and "non-changeable" and other restrictions.
On February 21, the reporter checked the air ticket prices from Shenzhen to various parts of the country in the past three months on the Ctrip platform, and found no air tickets under 100 yuan.
The lowest-priced air ticket is a direct flight from Shenzhen to Chongqing on February 21, with a fare of 120 yuan. However, this price does not include the fuel cost of the aircraft, and the free checked baggage service is not available. The actual paid price plus additional fees reached 240 yuan. Yuan.
Subsequently, the reporter inquired with the Qunar travel platform.
The results show that from February to March, flights from Shanghai to Changsha, Guiyang, Chongqing, Enshi, Chengdu and other places have air tickets for less than 100 yuan. Among them, the lowest price for a direct flight from Shanghai to Changsha is 75 yuan.
But it is also important to note that the price does not include engine fuel costs, and there is no free checked baggage allowance.
In terms of overseas travel, the Ctrip platform shows that the lowest air ticket price in the past three months from Shenzhen to a visa-free/visa-on-arrival country is 509 yuan. The flight destination is Kuala Lumpur and the departure date is February 24.
This flight also has strict conditions, such as not being able to check in luggage and not being able to change or cancel the flight.
In the "outbound travel" low-price list on the Tongcheng travel platform, the lowest air ticket price is 456 yuan, and the flight departs from Shenzhen to Manila on March 3.
Not long ago, some netizens posted a screenshot of a 0 yuan air ticket booking from Shanghai to Osaka, Japan, which attracted widespread attention.
However, when the reporter tried to search on major ticketing systems and OTA platforms, he did not find the so-called "0 yuan ticket".
On the Qunar travel platform, the lowest air ticket price from Shanghai to Osaka is 485 yuan, with departure time on February 5.
Reporters found that such special-price tickets are often accompanied by harsh travel conditions, such as being unable to check in luggage, not being able to change or refund, and not providing meals, etc.
In this regard, Mao Yi, director of the Publicity Department of Spring Airlines, said that the "0 yuan ticket" is actually the result of agents and platforms providing self-funded subsidies based on the promotional price of air tickets.
This method of subsidy is mainly to compete for passengers and traffic.
He reminded passengers that while paying attention to the price of outbound tickets, they should also pay attention to the price of return tickets.
For example, although the lowest ticket price for a outbound ticket from Shanghai to Tokyo is only 80 yuan, the return price is as high as 500 to 600 yuan.
Data reading client
(Chongqing Morning News)