News
China’s “Big Three” airlines selling tickets of rival carriers on their apps
March 21st 2025
Air China, China Southern Airlines (CSA) and China Eastern Airlines (CEA) are allowing passengers using their apps to browse and book flights operated by competitors, Yicai reports. Read More » Passengers can freely book the best option for their needs without any additional fees, with payments settled at a later date. However, prices for the same flight vary across the platforms of the three carriers with the lowest fare usually displayed on the operator’s own site. The three airlines began trialing the service last year on routes between their home cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, an insider told Yicai. The innovation offers more flight options to their VIP customers especially premium frequent travelers sensitive to flight schedules. The trial has been expanded to more shared routes and may include international routes, Yicai reports. The practice of selling tickets of rivals reflects the efforts of Chinese carriers to transform their platforms into online travel agency sites. They also are introducing services such as ride-hailing, high-speed rail ticket bookings, global hotel reservations and visa assistance on their websites.
