For many overseas tourists who are planning a Tibet tour, taking flights to Tibet is a good choice since it is much faster and more comfortable. In addition to the airlines and flight routes, one most concerned issue for the majority of tourists is the cost of flights. Compared with the expense of taking trains to Tibet, the cost of flights to Tibet tends to be much higher. But air tickets with due discounts can also be found in some cases.
Cost of Flights to Tibet from Different Cities
In most cases, tourists can fly to Lhasa directly from other major cities of China, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Xi’an, Kunming, Xining, etc. Besides, tourists can take international flights to Lhasa from Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Based on different departure points and departure time, the air fare of flights to Tibet may vary greatly. It’s up to you to decide where to start your flight journey to Tibet, in consideration of your own tour schedule.
Flights from Kathmandu to Lhasa
As the only international flights to Tibet, flights from Kathmandu to Lhasa are quite popular among foreign tourists. There are only two direct flights in total, operated by Sichuan Airlines and Air China. Besides, brand new flights operated by Tibet Airlines started operated from March 2017, with a frequency of two per week. The fare on economy-class flights starts from 214 USD, based on the latest updates on ctrip.com.
Flights from Beijing to Lhasa
Currently, there are ten direct flights from Beijing to Lhasa every day, operated by Air China, Tibet Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, and Shandong Airlines. It takes about 4 hours and 30 minutes from Beijing to Lhasa and vice versa. Some flights have a stopover in Chengdu. The full price is about 500 USD for economy class and 1498 USD for first class.
Flights from Shanghai to Lhasa
Four direct flights fly to Lhasa from Shanghai every day, separately operated by China Eastern Airline, Tibet Airline, Air China, and Shenzhen Airlines. It takes about 7 hours for the flight in which about 1 hour is for a stopover at Chengdu or Xi’an. The full price for one way is approximately 514 USD for economy class and 1544 USD for first class.
Flights from Chengdu to Lhasa
As one of the major cities in Mainland China close to Tibet, flights from Chengdu to Lhasa are much more abundant. In high season, there are up to 36 non-stop flights from Chengdu to Tibet. The full price is about 250 USD for economy class and 848 USD for first class. It only takes 2 hours and 30 minutes to fly to Lhasa from Chengdu.
Flights from Nanjing to Lhasa
Until now, there are only two direct flights between Nanjing and Lhasa, operated by Tibet Airlines and Air China. With a stopover at Xining, it takes about 6 hours to complete this flight journey. The one-way full price of the flight tickets is about 455 USD for the economy class and 1365 USD for the first class.
Flights from Chongqing to Lhasa
20 direct flights are flying to Lhasa from Chongqing every day. Compared with the flights between Chengdu and Lhasa, the flights from Chongqing to Lhasa or Lhasa to Chongqing tend to offer more discounts even in peak season. The cost of a one-way flight from Chongqing to Lhasa is 290 USD only for economy class at full price, and 868 USD for the first class.
Flights from Guangzhou to Lhasa
At this moment, there is only one direct flight per day from Guangzhou to Lhasa, run by Southern Airline. It takes about 6 hours to arrive in Lhasa, with a stopover at Chongqing. The airfare of this flight starts from 327 USD in one-way.
Flights from Kunming to Lhasa
Currently, 6 flights are flying directly from Kunming to Lhasa, with a journey of around 3 hours. Some flights have a stopover at Lijiang or Diqing. The full price of the tickets in one-way is about 346 USD for economy class and 1038 USD for first class.
Flights from Xi’an to Lhasa
There are eleven direct flights between Xi’an and Lhasa from early morning to midnight. It takes about 3 hours to fly to Lhasa from Xi’an. The full-price airfare is about 349 USD for economy class. There are stopovers at Xiahe or Xining for some flights.
How to Find Cheap Flights to Tibet
Normally, the cost of flights takes up a large part of the total travel expenses. Therefore, most travelers are keen on finding a cheap flight ticket to save more. Even though airfare from mainland China to Tibet is much more expensive than those between other major cities of China, you can still find flights with discounts, sometimes even at 30% or 40% off. And here are some tips on booking cheap air tickets as follows.
1. Try to avoid the high tourist season
Usually, the travel cost during the peak tourist season is much higher than that of ordinary days. You are going to pay more for not only flight tickets but also other travel expenses, if you happen to travel to Tibet during the high season, such as the Chinese National Holidays (from October 1 to October 7). For Tibet tours, the most popular time is from April to June and September to October. While the time between July and August, there are still a lot of people rushing to Tibet since it is in the summer vacation.
2. Choose the connecting flights
If you have enough time or are not so urgent to rush to your final destination, you are recommended to try the connecting flights to save more. Though you may spend double or triple times on your flight journey, the airfare you are charged with can drop greatly, some even at 50% off.
3. Book your flights in advance
As for a tour, especially to those hot destinations, like Tibet, the sooner you plan it well, the better it is. It is recommended to book your Tibet flights 2 months in advance to get the best rate.
4. Do more comparison
Pay attention to several flight booking platforms rather than a single one, thus you will get more chances to dig out the best rate on flights. In most instances, the airfares presented on different booking platforms are not all the same, even at the same period of the same day. So do more comparison before making the final decision.
