Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
as well as to Sydney, Melbourne, London, and Paris. Other airlines that fly direct between
Beijing and the United States include United, Delta, American Airlines, and Hainan Air.
Hainan Air is one local airline worth keeping your eye on. It's one of the few Chinese air-
lines actually turning its attention to service quality. Its flights have an international feel and
its ticket prices are competitive.
To book your China flights, you can go through the usual ticketing vendors, such as Trave-
locity, Expedia, or individual airline websites to buy your tickets, but within China there
are also two very useful websites to investigate—eLong.com and
www.Ctrip.com
.
Both of-
fer competitive prices that are often way below those elsewhere, and both have good Eng-
lish services. These sites won't always allow you to directly earn points with your relevant
points club, so either contact the club after you've purchased your tickets or present your
club membership card first thing when you arrive at the check-in counter.
In Beijing, trains are used for long-distance journeys rather than everyday commuting, and
when you make your first attempt at taking a train it can be a little intimidating. The sta-
tions are vast, crowded, dirty halls of people chewing on sunflower seeds or mandarins
and spitting the remains on the floor. When boarding time for your train is announced your
stomach dives at the horrible squeeze and chaos you're envisaging is about to happen. The
constantly surprising thing, however, is that once you're through to the actual platform and
boarding the train, it's all quite serene and organized. After they succeed in getting through
the gate in the waiting hall, people behave in an orderly fashion, board their designated cars
promptly, and settle in. Trains leave on time and get you to your destination in comfort.
