In China, as well as running the ticketing system and (previously, and now probably still effectively) all of the airports, the government heavily regulates pricing to maintain accessibility of air-based transport for the citizens. One results it that people frequently book same day or day before. It's not uncommon on major routes between large cities to just go to the airport, buy a same-day domestic flight, and fly immediately.
This is really cool, and it's how things should be.
People can usually buy same day as travel in the US, too. Some flights might be sold out, some fares may be higher... but others will still be quite low. It's just uncommon, if you know you'll be flying, because of the risks.
Are you suggesting there's no risk of finding either a higher price or no seats when waiting until the day of travel in China? If so, there may be a yield-management inefficiency where someone else is losing out, and seats are often going empty.
I wonder if there are any unintended consequences though.
For instance, if everyone buys same day/ day before, what's availability like? Are there different classes of seating?
Are there empty seats during slow times of the year? Does the government simply eat those costs?
I'm completely ignorant of how air travel works in China, and these are genuine questions.
Of course availability is not guaranteed immediately; but on major routes it's effectively guaranteed due to volume.
As for costs, the government is heavily involved in managing fuel prices, and no doubt effectively controls airport landing and service fees, though I'm not sure about other factors. (They certainly aren't mandating any form of edible in-flight food!)
At a former employer, two of my executives (CEO/MD) were former British Airlines management. The CEO made me aware that, in fact, governments almost always subsidise air travel; even of the famed 'most profitable route' (London to New York). I haven't gone and done the research but my ex-CEO had no motivation to lie about it; AFAIK this is just another example of some of the 'peons pay for riche' realities of our world. As my mother puts it elegantly; "life isn't fair". Ain't that the truth.
At least in China you don't get charged extra for not having long-term plans. Leaving Australia recently, I was forced to buy an onward ticket (that I never used) from the destination country, despite the destination country's consulate (that I'd visited the day before) telling me this was not required. This sort of thing is a western air travel industry scam, and costs far more than some government inefficiencies.
I think US perspectives in particular tend to be very pro-capitalism/free market, whereas there are actually some good low-hanging fruit to be had from intelligent and light-touch regulation.
Much like code, business processes come in flavours and each offer their own benefits. Open source would be preferable; we're not there yet.
> Leaving Australia recently, I was forced to buy an onward ticket (that I never used) from the destination country, despite the destination country's consulate (that I'd visited the day before) telling me this was not required. This sort of thing is a western air travel industry scam, and costs far more than some government inefficiencies.
It's happened to me too, but the employee at the airport was quite understanding and sold me a fully refundable ticket (they exist, although the price is obscene) - I just canceled it after landing. The problem for at least Japan is that legally the airlines are responsible for getting you out of the country if you overstay a visa and can't pay for a flight back home, so all airlines require that you already have the ticket back if you're coming for a short trip. Immigration itself doesn't really enforce it.
This is really cool, and it's how things should be.