6 Essential Chinese Questions to Ask When Booking Plane Tickets

Chinese people love to travel by plane due to its speed and convenience. With many airlines offering competitive prices for domestic flights, knowing how to book tickets in Chinese can make the process smoother.

Whether you’re booking a one way or return ticket or even upgrading to business class, it’s essential to know how to ask the right questions in Chinese. In this guide we’ll teach you the most common phrases and questions you’ll need when booking your flight in China.

Questions to Book Tickets in Chinese Flight Booking in Chinese

Are there any tickets for Wednesday morning?

有星期三上午的票吗?
Yǒu xīngqīsān shàngwǔ de piào ma?
Are there any tickets for Wednesday morning?

If you want to travel somewhere, you will need to have a clear idea of when you would like to leave before you book a plane ticket. This is the question you need to ask to find out if the ticket that you want is available.

“有 (yǒu) ……吗 (ma)?” means “are there any……available?”. And in this question “星期三上午” (xīngqīsān shàngwǔ) (Wednesday morning)” can be replaced by other phrases such as “明天下午” (míngtiān xiàwǔ) meaning “tomorrow afternoon” “去北京” (qù Běijīng) which means “to Beijing”.

EXAMPLE:

有去北京的票吗？
Yǒu qù Běijīng de piào ma?
Are there any tickets to Beijing?

Are there any business-class tickets available?

有商务舱的票吗?
Yǒu shāngwùcāng de piào ma?
Are there any business-class tickets available?

Plane tickets sell out quickly during the peak tourist season in China. Therefore you might come across such a situation where there are no economy class tickets left for a certain flight. In such cases you would either reschedule your flight or spend a bit more money to purchase a business-class ticket. Here are some other terms related to different types of plane and train tickets:

FOR A PLANE:

头等舱
tóuděngcāng
first class

经济舱
jīngjìcāng
economy class

FOR A TRAIN:

商务座
shāngwùzuò
business-class seat

一等座
yīděngzuò
first-class seat

二等座
èrděngzuò
second-class seat

What might surprise you is that when it comes to taking a train in China, a business-class ticket is actually more expensive than a first-class ticket.

Questions to Book Tickets in Chinese – Rescheduling & Returning Tickets

Can I reschedule my flight?

可以改签吗?
Kěyǐ gǎiqiān ma?
Can I reschedule my flight?

Imagine a scenario where you plan on going to Beijing tomorrow, but something unexpected happens and you need to postpone your trip. In such cases you would want to ask if it’s possible to reschedule your flight.

The question you can ask is “可以改签吗?” (kěyǐ gǎiqiān ma?) which translates to “Can I reschedule my flight?”. In this question “改” (gǎi) means “to change” and “签” (qiān) means “to sign”. If you already have a specific time in mind for the rescheduled flight you can use the structure “改到 + time” (gǎi dào + time).

EXAMPLE:

可以改到星期五吗？
Kěyǐ gǎi dào xīngqīwǔ ma?
Can I reschedule it for Friday?

Can I return my ticket?

可以退票吗?
Kěyǐ tuì piào ma?
Can I return my ticket?

If you’ve already purchased a ticket, but need to cancel your trip before the flight departs you might be eligible to return your ticket. In that case the question you should ask is “可以退票吗?” (kěyǐ tuì piào ma?) which means “Can I return my ticket?”. The word “退” (tuì) means “to return” or “to refund”. This term is commonly used when requesting a refund. Whether it’s for tickets or products another variation of the question “可以退吗?” (kěyǐ tuì ma?), simply asks “Can I return it?”.

FAQ: 6 Key Chinese Questions for Booking Plane Tickets in China

Chinese: 你有去北京的票吗? (Nǐ yǒu qù Běijīng de piào ma?)

If you are looking for a ticket to Beijing, you can simply ask the ticket agent or airline staff: “你有去北京的票吗?”. You can replace “北京” with any other city such as “上海” (Shànghǎi) or “广州” (Guǎngzhōu) depending on your travel destination.

02. Are there any business-class tickets available?

Chinese: 有商务舱的票吗? (Yǒu shāngwùcāng de piào ma?)

To inquire about business-class availability ask: “有商务舱的票吗?”. This phrase helps you find out if business-class tickets are available for your desired flight. You may also ask for other classes like economy or first-class tickets.

03. Can I reschedule my flight?

Chinese: 可以改签吗? (Kěyǐ gǎiqiān ma?)

If you need to change your flight date you can ask: “可以改签吗?”. Depending on the airline’s policy, rescheduling may be subject to availability and additional charges.

04. Are there any tickets for Wednesday morning?

Chinese: 有星期三上午的票吗? (Yǒu xīngqīsān shàngwǔ de piào ma?)

You can replace “星期三上午” (Wednesday morning) with any day and time you prefer, such as “明天下午” (tomorrow afternoon) or “下周五” (next Friday).

05. Can I return my ticket?

Chinese: 可以退票吗? (Kěyǐ tuì piào ma?)

Depending on the airline’s policies returning a ticket may involve a refund or cancellation fee.

06. What is the price of a one-way ticket?

Chinese: 单程票多少钱? (Dānchéng piào duōshǎo qián?)

This question helps you inquire about the cost of a one-way ticket to your destination. If you want to ask about a round-trip ticket, you can replace “单程” with “往返” (wǎngfǎn), which means round-trip.

We hope these phrases and questions will be useful and help you next time you’re booking your plane tickets. To find out more interesting phrases and questions in Chinese, check out one of our blog posts 5 Chinese Phrases For Shopping on Taobao