The summer period represents one of the peak seasons for air travel demand each year. In response, numerous airlines have increased flight frequencies to popular destinations for the 2026 summer travel season to meet passenger needs.
To cater to the demand for summer tourism and cooler getaways, several airlines have focused on launching new routes and adding flights to popular tourist cities in regions such as Xinjiang, Northeast China, Northwest China, and Southwest China. Centered around hub airports like Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, multiple special summer tourism routes have been newly opened or had their frequencies increased.
Han Weidong, Deputy Manager of the Operations Command Department at China Southern Airlines' Beijing Branch, stated that during the summer travel rush, the airline expects to operate over 370 inbound and outbound flights at Beijing Daxing International Airport. Domestically, it has increased frequencies on 21 routes covering popular tourist destinations. New routes include Hotan to Hailar, while services from Daxing to Aksu, Baishan, and Mangshi have been resumed.
Furthermore, the continuous addition of new international routes is injecting fresh momentum into the summer international passenger market. On July 2, Air China launched its inaugural Beijing-Venice flight. Additionally, Capital Airlines, part of the new HNA group, recently commenced its first direct passenger flight from Beijing Daxing to Lisbon, Portugal.
Mu Yang, Deputy Director of the Development and Planning Department at the Civil Aviation Administration of China, noted that currently, Chinese and foreign airlines operate international passenger routes connecting to 177 cities across 80 countries on five continents, with over 1,000 scheduled international flights. These cover 125 cities in 60 Belt and Road Initiative partner countries. While traditional markets like Europe maintain high growth rates, emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America are growing even faster, with an overall increase of 27.6%.
Affordable Airfares Make Small-Town Summer Escapes a New Trend
Reports indicate that this summer not only offers more choices for air travel but also features notably affordable airfares. In early July, ticket prices for some popular routes were even cheaper than high-speed rail tickets.
Data from travel analytics platforms shows that as of July 3, domestic flight bookings for July exceeded 22.1 million, while international and outbound bookings surpassed 5.59 million, a year-on-year increase of approximately 3%. As travel enthusiasm steadily climbs, airfare prices have remained stable or decreased compared to 2025.
Data from multiple online travel booking platforms reveals that the average booking price for domestic flights departing between July 6 and 12 (excluding taxes and fees) is about 20% lower year-on-year. As of now, many base fares under 300 yuan are still available for travel in the first half of July. Examples include direct flights from Beijing to Anshan, Nanchang, and Taiyuan, and from Shanghai to Wenzhou, Xiamen, and Guangzhou, with some route prices lower than concurrent high-speed rail tickets.
An analyst from a travel data research institute suggested that for the entire summer travel period, the first week of July and the last week of August present the best windows for finding low fares. It is anticipated that the peak of the 2026 summer travel rush will shift later overall, characterized by a "later start and stronger sustained momentum." Demand during the traditional peak period from late July to mid-August continues to rise, and airfares for this timeframe are expected to be relatively higher.
Beyond affordable airfares, many travelers are also turning their attention to "hidden gem" summer retreat towns, quietly reshaping the travel market landscape. Towns offering mountain and forest escapes have seen significant booking growth. Yichun in Heilongjiang province has emerged as a "dark horse" due to its exceptional forest coverage. Hotel bookings around the Changbai Mountain resort area in Jilin have increased by 1.3 times. Hotel bookings near Sayram Lake in Bortala, Xinjiang, have propelled that area into the national top 20 for popularity.
Additionally, destinations centered around water resources are performing well. Driven by attractions like the Huangguoshu Waterfall and Doupotang Waterfall, flight bookings to Anshun in Guizhou province have increased by over 20% for the summer. The analyst noted that new routes in the 2026 summer season have made smaller airports and towns with cool climates and beautiful scenery more attractive. Boosted by new flight options, airfares to Xinjiang for the 2026 summer holiday are very affordable. In early July, the price for a direct flight from Beijing to Altay, including taxes and fees, was under 800 yuan.
Furthermore, the popularity of routes like the Qinghai-Gansu loop, in-depth Yunnan tours, and Guizhou circuits continues to rise. Cool, coastal cities in northern China offering high value for money are also entering their peak season.
Near-Zero-Cost Inter-Airline Rebooking Advances "Public Transport-Style" Air Travel
As travel demand surges, air travel services are also being upgraded this summer. With the barriers to inter-airline ticket rebooking being further lowered, more passengers can enjoy the convenience of "public transport-style" flexibility in air travel.
At Nanjing Lukou International Airport, dedicated check-in counters for the "Ning-Shen Express" service are already seeing many passengers. The Nanjing-Shenzhen route is a high-frequency business corridor with around 23 outbound flights daily and a large passenger base. To facilitate easier rebooking for travelers, Nanjing Lukou International Airport, in collaboration with Shenzhen Airport and four airlines—China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, and Juneyao Air—officially launched the "Ning-Shen Smooth Travel" inter-airline voluntary rebooking service at the start of the summer season, first trialing it on this "air shuttle" route.
Lin Yi, Deputy General Manager of China Eastern Airlines Jiangsu Company, explained that the most significant feature is its near-"zero-threshold" inclusive nature. Previously, airline rebooking services were primarily value-added offerings for passengers holding high-fare tickets. This new service covers all fare classes; except for special tickets like complimentary passes, all passengers who purchased standard tickets can benefit from the "Ning-Shen Smooth Travel" service.
Airport staff indicated that the first rebooking incurs no change fee. The fare adjustment follows the principle of "pay the difference for higher fares, retain the original price for lower fares." If the new flight's fare is higher, passengers only need to pay the difference. If it's lower, no refund is issued, and no fee is charged. Passengers simply need to apply at least 90 minutes before the original flight's departure time on the travel day to freely adjust their itinerary to another flight on the same route segment within a four-hour window before or after.
Currently, Nanjing Airport has set up dedicated service counters both inside and outside the security check areas in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 2. This allows passengers to process their requests conveniently, whether they have cleared security or not, eliminating the need to travel back and forth.
It is understood that inter-airline rebooking services have previously been piloted on routes like Beijing-Shanghai and Shanghai-Shenzhen, typically available only for full-fare or tickets discounted 40% or less, excluding many ordinary passengers holding discounted tickets. This service upgrade now allows a broader range of travelers to enjoy the convenience of inter-airline rebooking. Starting around July 15, the Hangzhou-Shenzhen express route is also expected to fully complete its upgrade, implementing the new "near-zero-threshold" rebooking policy.
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