Wendy Zhang/ Shanghai Daily news

Shanghai's air-ticket market has seen overall price discounts of between 40 and 60 percent despite the week-long National Day holiday, which starts on October 1st, being only a fortnight away, today's Laodong Daily reported.
Both Air China and Hainan Airlines halved their prices from Shanghai to Beijing from 1,130 yuan (US$139) to 510 yuan, with discounts of 50 percent also offered on flights from Shanghai to Guangzhou and Shenzhen, said a salesman, adding that over the past two months, discounts of not more than 20 percent were offered on these routes.
Flights to the western parts of China are proving very popular. With tickets from Shanghai to Chengdu priced at 60 percent off, it is not easy to get them, said an industry analyst. Passengers have to book the tickets seven or ten days in advance, he suggested.
Many had thought that fares would increase around the holiday, but air-carriers continue to spark price wars in order to attract passengers, most of whom are price-sensitive, the analyst explained, adding that low-cost tickets are difficult to change or return.