Dear Dr. Yu. Thank you so much for this explanation. It now makes sense why prices are so high. Since August when I got accepted to a PhD in China I have been browsing around for cheap flights to Hangzhou, it is very exausting. I plan on traveling to Hangzhou in February next year, so I hope by then it gets cheaper to fly to China.
What would be the downside of the much cheaper Hong Kong flight as a stop over?, two quarantines? Or how about Tokyo or Seoul and get a two-day staycation for covid tests.
Yep you got it. More hassle. Not guaranteed to get into mainland China from Hong Kong. Also some countries may not allow tourists yet - this was the case for Japan this summer, not sure about now
Hey Tony. A friend went to Hangzhou in a route São Paulo-Dubai-Hongkong-Hangzhou. He had a couple difficulties in using his credit card to buy the flight leg Hongkong -hangzhou, so he went anyway planning to buy it in the three day quarantine (mandatory) in Hongkong. However, at the boarding to Hongkong in Dubai they did not allowed him to board without a flight ticket to Hangzhou, which means he had to buy it right there to continue the flight, you can imagine it was not cheap. I happy he could buy it and now he has finished his -10 day quarantine in Hangzhou. Oh, before I forget to mention, he said food in Hongkong was very expensive. Thus, you have to plan a budget for three days in HKG, which I do not know if it is worth it in terms of money. I am about to travel to Hangzhou as well for my studies, but I am trying to save some money waiting for this whole situation to get better in a near future.
When do u think the prices of the flights will go down? Because i never have been to china since 2019 and i really wanna go back when its affordable again. Do u think theyre going to be affordable next year?
I hope they will be affordable next year, it really depends on when the Chinese government's policies change, as I describe in the video... fingers crossed for next year!
Great video. I just started looking up fares today. I was totally unaware of this. I was floored seeing 12k economy and 35k business class tickets on United. These rules are absolutely stupid. Nothing in covid made common sense. The ticket prices are absurd. No way I’d pay this. I used to get economy for about $800
Thanks for the kind comment. Crazy high prices eh?? There weren’t any concise explanations for why when I bought my tickets, so I thought I’d make a video to explain. Im used to prices 10x cheaper as well. Hopefully prices come down soon!
I am dreaming of getting that price of about $800. I will travel to Hangzhou for my studies and I am doing everything to gain some time hoping ticket fares will get lower. Hopefully, with a couple more months it will change for better as the number of quarantine days has reduced.
If my flight is from Denver to San Francisco to Shanghai, do I get my origin covid tests done in Denver or SFO? And if my final destination is Shenzhen, do I quarantine in Shanghai for 10 days, then move south to Shenzhen?
Great questions. No, you are originating in the USA, so it likely doesn't matter where you do the tests as long as it's within the USA. But please check with your Local Chinese consulate to be safe. and yes, you need to quarantine in Shanghai for 10 days prior to moving on to your final destination - so it may not make sense to buy tickets that take you to Shenzhen right away. Cheers and safe flight!
New subsccriber here as I found the video very informative since I want to return to China as well! Maybe I missed it but was this C$ 9,000 for a single or a round trip ticket to SH?
Thank you! great question, sorry I overlooked this in the video - it was for a round trip ticket (thankfully!). Good to know it was informative - this is the first of a 4 part series, my next video on the airport and quarantine experience was just released: th-cam.com/video/Oq5eupol0hE/w-d-xo.html check it out and let me know what you think!
Thanks for sharing. How long it takes to get your HDC in the host country??? Is 23 hours period enough to take my HDC code on the last leg flight on the transit country to China?
Here's one set of instructions from the Chinese consulate: www.mfa.gov.cn/ce/ceca//eng/sggg/t1835647.htm And another one, more relevant to my specific situation: calgary.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/zytz/202203/t20220326_10656075.htm hope these are of help. Both documents mention testing needs to be done relative to the "flight to China" which implies the last leg of the flight/the direct flight. Of course, I could be wrong. Please let me know if I am. I would love it if I can transit through another country without doing the tests in that country. I wonder what @princeoftravel thinks?
Theoretically - but only if you get lucky and the authorities in your final destination let you quarantine at home. Many cities in China are not willing to accept that risk. At least not yet. I cover this in my sequel video: Shanghai Airport and Quarantine in Zero-COVID China (August 2022) th-cam.com/video/Oq5eupol0hE/w-d-xo.html
But there will be even more issues if people don’t travel… I mean technically you’d be able to travel by train from Europe to China but it’s literally impossible to do so from America unless you make peace with Russia and build a bridge between Alaska and Russia somehow.
What an idiot! So only the ultra rich can visit their families, see the world, and enjoy life since they work so much. But you lazy ass wanna condemn everyone to live a miserable life like you.
Hopefully. By all accounts from the news I’m reading, policymakers in China are alluding to allowing more international flights to enter and leave China soon! How soon? Anyone’s guess! Hopefully in time for the school year!
During the time that this video was made things like jp4 which is a expensive fuel would probably be only at $6 per gallon times 53,000 and if there's only 70% capacity just for fuel alone it would probably run you $2,000 in cash just for the gas and then for of course the aircraft and things like the precautions of quarantine and the maintenance and the cost of inflation as well along with a reduction of staff that they had done nearly worldwide so that there's no workers very few anyway. Although still $9,000 seems a little bit expensive because that would mean like $600 $6,000 for all the work the airplane and no gas $6,000 just for that they're actually probably be about $4,000 for the gas the crew of the pay the airport fees the control tower to communications maintenance fees and etc food fees staff precautions testing all that sort of thing although that still leaves a $5,000 profit it seems. I feel empathy and compassion for people that have been stuck in one area or the other and not allowed to see loved ones and family and their countrymen and their home and their children just because of the strict policies although I suppose it might be necessary but after 3 years of that it would probably try all the country people just nuts it would really be quite upsetting I empathize with many people of the world not just in one particular country or the other although many and many people worldwide Italy you name it the states have passed away and they will never get them back when I see cities full of people and a female crying and many other people crying with her as if she is not alone I wonder if she had lost her most precious loved one her mother her child her husband her father I cried badly too
You’re right Elaine, high gas prices has contributed to airfare price increases everywhere, including these flights to China. At the same time, there are unique reasons behind why these flights to China are especially pricey of late - and the video addresses these unique reasons.
Great video! very informative, thank you for sharing the reasons why prices are so expensive!
Thanks for the kind comment! Glad you found the video useful.
Dear Dr. Yu. Thank you so much for this explanation. It now makes sense why prices are so high. Since August when I got accepted to a PhD in China I have been browsing around for cheap flights to Hangzhou, it is very exausting. I plan on traveling to Hangzhou in February next year, so I hope by then it gets cheaper to fly to China.
What would be the downside of the much cheaper Hong Kong flight as a stop over?, two quarantines?
Or how about Tokyo or Seoul and get a two-day staycation for covid tests.
Yep you got it. More hassle. Not guaranteed to get into mainland China from Hong Kong. Also some countries may not allow tourists yet - this was the case for Japan this summer, not sure about now
Hey Tony. A friend went to Hangzhou in a route São Paulo-Dubai-Hongkong-Hangzhou.
He had a couple difficulties in using his credit card to buy the flight leg Hongkong -hangzhou, so he went anyway planning to buy it in the three day quarantine (mandatory) in Hongkong. However, at the boarding to Hongkong in Dubai they did not allowed him to board without a flight ticket to Hangzhou, which means he had to buy it right there to continue the flight, you can imagine it was not cheap. I happy he could buy it and now he has finished his -10 day quarantine in Hangzhou. Oh, before I forget to mention, he said food in Hongkong was very expensive. Thus, you have to plan a budget for three days in HKG, which I do not know if it is worth it in terms of money.
I am about to travel to Hangzhou as well for my studies, but I am trying to save some money waiting for this whole situation to get better in a near future.
When do u think the prices of the flights will go down? Because i never have been to china since 2019 and i really wanna go back when its affordable again. Do u think theyre going to be affordable next year?
I hope they will be affordable next year, it really depends on when the Chinese government's policies change, as I describe in the video... fingers crossed for next year!
@@DrYanYu Thank u for the answer!
Great video. I just started looking up fares today. I was totally unaware of this. I was floored seeing 12k economy and 35k business class tickets on United. These rules are absolutely stupid. Nothing in covid made common sense. The ticket prices are absurd. No way I’d pay this. I used to get economy for about $800
Thanks for the kind comment. Crazy high prices eh?? There weren’t any concise explanations for why when I bought my tickets, so I thought I’d make a video to explain. Im used to prices 10x cheaper as well. Hopefully prices come down soon!
I am dreaming of getting that price of about $800. I will travel to Hangzhou for my studies and I am doing everything to gain some time hoping ticket fares will get lower. Hopefully, with a couple more months it will change for better as the number of quarantine days has reduced.
If my flight is from Denver to San Francisco to Shanghai, do I get my origin covid tests done in Denver or SFO?
And if my final destination is Shenzhen, do I quarantine in Shanghai for 10 days, then move south to Shenzhen?
Great questions. No, you are originating in the USA, so it likely doesn't matter where you do the tests as long as it's within the USA. But please check with your Local Chinese consulate to be safe.
and yes, you need to quarantine in Shanghai for 10 days prior to moving on to your final destination - so it may not make sense to buy tickets that take you to Shenzhen right away.
Cheers and safe flight!
@@DrYanYu Thanks for your insights
New subsccriber here as I found the video very informative since I want to return to China as well! Maybe I missed it but was this C$ 9,000 for a single or a round trip ticket to SH?
Thank you! great question, sorry I overlooked this in the video - it was for a round trip ticket (thankfully!).
Good to know it was informative - this is the first of a 4 part series, my next video on the airport and quarantine experience was just released: th-cam.com/video/Oq5eupol0hE/w-d-xo.html
check it out and let me know what you think!
Do you still need to pay for the quarantine hotel separately from that?!
oh yeah totally! this was just the cost of the flight for me
Do the china embassy where you get your Q1/Q2 visa required a conform plane ticket booking in order to grant you the visa you applied for?
No it didn’t - hope that helps!
Do we have any projections as to when are they gonna come down in price? Every time I check news regarding COVID in China it looks pretty grim.
Whenever the government decides to change the strict COVID policy and open up flights to China, is my best guess!
The food on board must have been hella good lol
hello afyer your 7 day quarantine...did someone escort youto your family home? ive heard conflicting/crazy stories. Thanks
I will answer this in my sequel video, Ric - will comment again later on once it's released!
Thanks for sharing.
How long it takes to get your HDC in the host country???
Is 23 hours period enough to take my HDC code on the last leg flight on the transit country to China?
It took me about 10 minutes once I submitted my COVID tests. Pretty effective!
Is this still like this , we want to go back but want to go through Taipei … but that means we still need covid test in Taipei? T T
No I think things have changed now! No more quarantine as of Jan 8, 2023. Good luck! Happy travels!
If transferring what documentation says the tests have to come from the last leg of your trip?
Here's one set of instructions from the Chinese consulate: www.mfa.gov.cn/ce/ceca//eng/sggg/t1835647.htm
And another one, more relevant to my specific situation: calgary.china-consulate.gov.cn/eng/zytz/202203/t20220326_10656075.htm
hope these are of help. Both documents mention testing needs to be done relative to the "flight to China" which implies the last leg of the flight/the direct flight.
Of course, I could be wrong. Please let me know if I am. I would love it if I can transit through another country without doing the tests in that country.
I wonder what @princeoftravel thinks?
@@DrYanYu thank you!
Isn't the quarantine 7 hotel, 3 home now? I've been to China for 12 years and used to go home every summer...Haven't for 3 years... :/
Theoretically - but only if you get lucky and the authorities in your final destination let you quarantine at home. Many cities in China are not willing to accept that risk. At least not yet. I cover this in my sequel video: Shanghai Airport and Quarantine in Zero-COVID China (August 2022)
th-cam.com/video/Oq5eupol0hE/w-d-xo.html
A world where it costs 10k to fly would certainly solve a lot of our climate change issues lol
Lol very true… there is an upside to everything! Hope all is going well!
But there will be even more issues if people don’t travel… I mean technically you’d be able to travel by train from Europe to China but it’s literally impossible to do so from America unless you make peace with Russia and build a bridge between Alaska and Russia somehow.
@@j123-x2r No shit sherlock.
What an idiot! So only the ultra rich can visit their families, see the world, and enjoy life since they work so much. But you lazy ass wanna condemn everyone to live a miserable life like you.
In the old days (like 10 years earlier) that amount can get you first class ticket with all the food and alcohol!
I know eh?? the opportunity cost of this amount of money for this economy ticket is endless!!
As china is going to open up for students, can I expect prices to go down ?
Hopefully. By all accounts from the news I’m reading, policymakers in China are alluding to allowing more international flights to enter and leave China soon! How soon? Anyone’s guess! Hopefully in time for the school year!
@@DrYanYu inshaAllah hopefully.Thanks Dr
I know you don't want to discuss it but China's zero COVID approach is just insane.
During the time that this video was made things like jp4 which is a expensive fuel would probably be only at $6 per gallon times 53,000 and if there's only 70% capacity just for fuel alone it would probably run you $2,000 in cash just for the gas and then for of course the aircraft and things like the precautions of quarantine and the maintenance and the cost of inflation as well along with a reduction of staff that they had done nearly worldwide so that there's no workers very few anyway. Although still $9,000 seems a little bit expensive because that would mean like $600 $6,000 for all the work the airplane and no gas $6,000 just for that they're actually probably be about $4,000 for the gas the crew of the pay the airport fees the control tower to communications maintenance fees and etc food fees staff precautions testing all that sort of thing although that still leaves a $5,000 profit it seems. I feel empathy and compassion for people that have been stuck in one area or the other and not allowed to see loved ones and family and their countrymen and their home and their children just because of the strict policies although I suppose it might be necessary but after 3 years of that it would probably try all the country people just nuts it would really be quite upsetting I empathize with many people of the world not just in one particular country or the other although many and many people worldwide Italy you name it the states have passed away and they will never get them back when I see cities full of people and a female crying and many other people crying with her as if she is not alone I wonder if she had lost her most precious loved one her mother her child her husband her father I cried badly too
what's also crazy is a married couple flying in together can't quarantine together...double the price.
yep, sad but true observation Ric. I will highlight your comment in my sequel video. Have you flown to China before?
@@DrYanYu lived there 10 years, trying to.get there now..have visa its.difficult to.connect. flight with test codes
Glad you got your visa at least!!
I got a medical scholarship to China, I can't afford plane ticket around $ 5000, I can't tell you how painful this is.. I hate poverty!!!
So sorry to hear about your situation Gregory. I hear there are many others in a similar boat as you. Hope you are able to study in China soon!
What about the expensive gas prices recently. I'm sure that contributed to the increase.
You’re right Elaine, high gas prices has contributed to airfare price increases everywhere, including these flights to China. At the same time, there are unique reasons behind why these flights to China are especially pricey of late - and the video addresses these unique reasons.
This video stresses me out.
Hopefully policies are changed soon Dom!
Just use Zoom to save yourself $9000…
Haha, I wish visiting family could be done over zoom
I'm so glad I don't live in china
Thanks for your comment Rhonda. I'm curious, what makes you glad you don't live in China?
Agenda 2030
How do you mean, Ted?
@@DrYanYu in the documents they said no international travel for civilians by 2030.
@@tedklampett1737 can you link me to the documents you speak of please?