Airlines collectively "launch new" routes, and "May Day" holiday ticket demand heats up

Source: Shanghai Securities News | Author: Chen Mengna

China’s spring-summer and fall air travel season for domestic aviation will begin on March 29, 2026. Coupled with spring holiday policies in various regions and expectations of rising fuel surcharges, many travelers have recently purchased flight tickets in advance, using the holidays to travel across mountains and seas, and enjoy spring outing tours, flower-viewing trips, and family outings. In terms of routes, airlines have collectively “added new” routes, and regional feeder-airport terminals in multiple places are expected to see a peak in passenger demand during the “May Day” holiday and the summer season.

“May Day” holiday flight ticket popularity heats up

A reporter from Shanghai Securities News, after checking OTA platforms, found that flight ticket prices for the “May Day” holiday have increased to varying degrees compared with earlier periods. Qunar Travel data shows that flight bookings for travel during the “May Day” holiday increased by nearly two-tenths year over year.

According to Qunar Travel data, as of now, the top ten most popular “May Day” holiday destinations are Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Kunming, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Urumqi, and Nanjing. Judging by the growth rate of advance bookings, during the “May Day” holiday, flight tickets with the fastest year-over-year growth rates include routes to Wenzhou, Ningbo, Guangzhou, Nanning, Hefei, Shanghai, Yining, Shenzhen, Zhengzhou, and Xishuangbanna, with growth rates all exceeding 25%.

Qunar’s Big Data Research Institute analysts believe that in previous “May Day” holiday periods, flight ticket bookings typically started about two weeks in advance. This year, influenced by expectations of rising fuel surcharges, the number of travelers locking in “May Day” holiday tickets in advance has clearly increased. It is expected that the number of travelers booking flights for the “May Day” holiday and the summer season next week will continue to rise.

Spring holiday consecutive breaks boost off-season ticket sales

This year’s Qingming holiday (April 4 to 6) is combined with spring holiday arrangements in primary and middle schools in many parts of the country. Most places adopt a consecutive-break pattern of “3-day spring holiday + Qingming holiday,” jointly driving a significant increase in travel heat from April 1 to 6.

A reporter learned from Flight Butler that spring holiday policies have covered many cities nationwide, and 13 cities have achieved a seamless connection between spring holidays and the Qingming holiday. From April 1 to 6, most spring-holiday-promoting cities plan to see their scheduled flight capacity rise steadily year over year, with Changzhou, Chengdu, and Nanjing among the leading cities in terms of growth in flight capacity.

“Such data confirms that spring holiday policies directly drive demand for air transportation capacity. It effectively fills the idle gap in capacity during the traditional off-season, turning April’s off-season into a new small peak for civil aviation travel in early summer,” an expert from Flight Butler DAST told Shanghai Securities News. “Spring holiday policies provide an institutional foundation for the large-scale release of travel demand. Moreover, since the policy core targets the characteristics of students in the compulsory education stage, it directly unlocks a huge incremental demand from family-based group travel—becoming the core underlying logic behind growth in civil aviation demand.”

Many families choose to depart early to kick off the spring holiday period. Qunar Travel data shows that in terms of number, currently, more travelers take flights departing on April 1 than on April 4 (the first day of the Qingming holiday). Working professionals, meanwhile, tend to travel on April 3 (the day before the Qingming holiday), forming a second departure mini-peak. In addition, the two major passenger flows—family travelers and working professionals—overlap, creating a return-trip peak on April 6.

In terms of flight ticket prices, the average price for departures on April 1 is lower than that of April 3. Taking popular routes as examples, for flights from Chengdu to Sanya departing on April 1, the lowest bare ticket price is about 800 yuan. While that is higher month-over-month than last week, it is about half as low as during the “May Day” holiday.

“Airfares in civil-aviation spring-holiday pilot cities show a broadly rising trend, and the industry’s profit margins have improved significantly. By breaking the ‘price involution’ dilemma of civil aviation off-season pricing, and supported by demand on the demand side, route fare elasticity has been fully activated, providing strong support for improvements in airlines’ operating performance,” said the expert above. “Spring holiday travel demand is highly tied to scenarios such as culture and tourism and study tours, which sets higher standards for cross-industry coordination and product innovation capabilities in the civil aviation industry.”

Small airports may welcome a “peak season”

From rapeseed flower seas to gorgeous cherry blossoms; from misty rain in the Jiangnan region to ancient sites in central China… With domestic route networks continuing to expand and improve across the entire country, travelers can use feeder airports to reach a wide variety of travel destinations. The growth space of down-tier markets and feeder aviation will be further opened up.

Qunar Travel’s Big Data Research Institute analyzes that the upcoming “May Day” holiday and the summer season are both peak travel periods, and especially in Northwest China, many small airports are expected to enter a peak season. Judging from route changes in the summer-fall flight season, the strongest intensification is seen in flight schedules at several small airports in Xinjiang. In addition, in Fujian Quanzhou, where tourism remains hot, the number of flights is also expected to increase significantly.

In terms of domestic route network layout, major airlines are all closely aligning with travel trends to add capacity. China Eastern Airlines has newly opened route destinations concentrated in tourism markets such as Xinjiang, Yunnan, and Guangxi. The total number of newly planned domestic routes is 41, and the number of domestic routes to be increased (with added frequency/capacity) will reach 65. Air China will open routes including Beijing to Yulin, Hanzhong, and Jiaxing. China Southern Airlines will open multiple routes from Beijing Daxing to Yining, Korla, Quanzhou, and others. Lucky Air, in line with spring and summer travel demand, will open 7 new routes, focusing on travel destinations with distinctive features of mountains and seas. Huaxia Airlines has built multiple air corridors connecting Central China with the Yangtze River Delta, offering travelers a richer range of choices.

A relevant executive at Huaxia Airlines said, “In the future, the company will continue to optimize its route network, improve the quality of travel services, and create a convenient, efficient, and comfortable travel experience for travelers. We will inject new momentum into local economic development, tourism, and cultural exchanges.”

(Editor: Wen Jing)

Keywords:

                                                            Travel
                                                            Airline tickets