The flight season is here! The discount is considerable. Make good use of this ticket purchase window.

Starting from October 25, civil aviation across the country will officially implement the flight plan for the 2026/2027 winter and spring season. This season change is a little different - the newly issued "Domestic Flight Review and Optimization Measures" issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China has also been implemented since this season change. The "cheap logic" of air tickets may have changed since then. So what should we pay attention to when traveling after the season changes? Will air ticket prices change? When is the best time to buy tickets?

Starting from October 25, civil aviation across the country will officially implement the flight plan for the 2026/2027 winter and spring season. According to international civil aviation practice, my country conducts flight season changes twice every year in March and October. The change of season is not a simple fine-tuning of the schedule. Flight schedules and schedules may change, and some routes may have additional, reduced or even grounded flights.

Pay special attention when traveling in these two situations:

If you purchase a ticket after October 25, recheck the departure airport, terminal and flight schedule before traveling. Especially if you have a transfer trip, do not catch the flight from memory.

If you often take low-frequency regional flights, such routes will change more when the seasons change, so it is recommended to check more often.

Seasons change every year, so what’s different this time?

The "Domestic Route Flight Evaluation and Optimization Measures" will be implemented starting from this season change. Many new measures have been proposed here, such as setting a cap on the number of carriers for popular flight segments where supply exceeds demand; providing two-year market cultivation period protection for regional routes, etc.

In the past, the fierce competition between multiple airlines on popular routes and the flying of special fares may be reduced; the withdrawal of inefficient regional routes and the protection of the incubation period will make flight operations more stable. One sentence summary: The supply of special fares on popular routes may shrink, but regional flight cancellation adjustments may decrease, and new direct routes may also increase.

The early season change is a good window for purchasing tickets. Affected by the intensive opening of new routes and the intensive increase in flight frequency, air ticket discounts on many domestic routes are currently considerable. Popular domestic flights are scheduled to fly within this year. If you see a suitable price, you may consider making an early purchase.