Domestic Flights in China: Airports, Check-In and Luggage Rules

Last updated: October 2026

Yes. Foreign visitors can book and board domestic flights in China on their passport, with no extra permit. Plan two hours at a major airport, check in at a staffed counter, and confirm your baggage allowance before paying: it ranges from 20 kg to nothing at all.

Can foreign visitors take domestic flights inside China?

Your passport is the only document you need. There is no domestic travel permit and no separate ticket category; you book the same seat inventory that Chinese passengers book.

• Book with the passport you will carry. A renewed passport with a new number means the booking has to be reissued.
• Buy from the airline where you can. Airline apps avoid the verification loops that mainland platforms build around a Chinese mobile number.

Groups need planning. Twenty people from a study tour cannot trickle through one counter, so seats and baggage get assigned in advance, which is what a tailor-made itinerary settles before departure.

How early should you arrive at a Chinese airport?

Two hours at any major hub, ninety minutes at a regional airport. The terminals are long, and passport holders cannot use the fast self-service path, so the counter queue is the variable you cannot compress.

Beijing Capital publishes the cutoff by airline: Air China 40 minutes at Terminal 3 and 35 at Terminal 2, China Eastern 30, Hainan Airlines 40.

Daxing is the exception. Since April 1, 2026, China Southern has run a no-cutoff check-in there for domestic departures with hand luggage only, as long as you reach the gate before it closes 15 minutes out. With a checked bag the cutoff returns to 30 minutes. The five-finger layout keeps the longest walk under eight minutes.

Why do kiosks and airline apps reject foreign passports?

Because the system is built around the 18-digit Chinese identity card. Self-service machines read that format, many run a Chinese-only menu, and a passport scan simply fails.

Spring Airlines states the limit plainly: online check-in accepts the Chinese ID and the new Foreign Permanent Resident ID, and holders of any other document, passports included, must use the counter. Air China opens remote check-in 48 hours to one hour before a domestic departure and its app boarding pass passes security, but a passport booking still means a document check at the counter. Budget for it.

What is the free baggage allowance on a domestic flight?

Chinese regulations use a weight system, not a piece system: 20 kg in economy, 30 kg in business, 40 kg in first, counted across all your checked bags rather than per bag.

Each checked bag may not exceed 50 kg or 40×60×100 cm. Overweight costs 1.5 percent of the economy fare per kilogram, so on a ¥1,500 fare a 30 kg bag can cost more than the seat. Passengers on one booking who check in together can pool their allowances.

Two add-ons are never optional:

A ¥600 fare is closer to ¥700 at the counter, and on a short budget route the fees can equal half the fare.

How do budget carriers differ?

The difference is baggage, not seat pitch. Spring Airlines gives every passenger one cabin bag of 7 kg at 20×30×40 cm, roughly a 14-inch daypack, and nothing checked on its two cheaper fare families. The top fare adds 20 kg checked and a 20-inch cabin bag.

Buy the allowance online: Spring sells 5 to 50 kg in advance at lower rates than the counter, and unused weight is refundable. If you check a bag, be at the counter 60 minutes before departure, because bag acceptance closes earlier than check-in does.

Which security rules catch first-time visitors?

Two, and both are stricter than in the US or Europe.

Power banks. They travel in the cabin, never in checked baggage. Since June 28, 2025, domestic flights require a visible Chinese 3C certification mark; unmarked, unclear or recalled units are refused. Capacity is 100 Wh with no approval, 100 to 160 Wh with airline approval and a maximum of two, nothing above 160 Wh. Use in flight is prohibited.

This is where foreign visitors get caught. A power bank bought in London or Los Angeles will not carry a 3C mark, and the rule applies on the domestic leg even if you arrived on an international flight, where the older capacity-only standard governs. Airports offer surrender, a courier desk, or seven days of free storage at Beijing Capital and Shenzhen. Carry a unit under 100 Wh that you are willing to lose.

Liquids. Domestic flights ban carry-on liquids outright, except cosmetics in containers of 100 ml or less, one of each type, bagged for inspection. Duty-free whiskey bought at an international terminal cannot follow you onto a domestic connection. Check it, ship it, or leave it. Lighters and matches are banned in cabin and hold alike.

Is it faster to fly or take the train?

Under about five hours by rail, the train usually wins once the airport is counted. Beijing to Shanghai is the clearest case: G25 covers 1,318 km in 4 hours 18 minutes from Beijing South to Shanghai Hongqiao, second class around ¥553 to ¥604, while the flight takes 1 hour 55 minutes to 2 hours 25 minutes. Add 45 to 60 minutes to reach the airport, two hours on the ground and 30 minutes for bags, and you land in the city at roughly the same moment. The Beijing to Shanghai rail guide breaks the timetable down.

The same holds on Xi'an to Beijing, 4 hours 10 minutes by rail against a two-hour flight, and Chengdu to Chongqing, 1 hour 27 minutes by rail. Flying earns its price on the long westbound runs and at airports far from their cities: Lanzhou Zhongchuan sits about 70 km out, though its intercity train reaches Lanzhou West in 32 to 42 minutes for ¥18.5.

For business travel the calculation flips. A morning flight to a meeting and an evening return is still the only way to work two cities in a day, which is why corporate programs hold seats instead of chasing the cheapest fare.

What happens if a domestic flight is delayed?

Chinese rules split the response by cause. Under the Provisions on Flight Regularity Administration, in force since January 1, 2017, a flight counts as delayed when it departs or arrives more than 15 minutes late.

• Airline's fault (maintenance, scheduling, crew): meals and accommodation at the airline's expense.
• Weather, air traffic control, security or the passenger: the airline helps arrange meals and a room, and you pay.
• Diversion or a stop en route on a domestic flight: the airline provides meals and accommodation regardless of cause.

Refunds and changes follow the fare rules you bought, not the delay; cheap fares often cannot be changed at all. Complaints run through the 12326 civil aviation service platform, and keep a record of the delay for insurance. Fog closes Urumqi and Harbin in winter, typhoons shut Guangzhou and Shenzhen in late summer, so build a buffer night before an international departure.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a visa to fly domestically in China?

No separate permit, and security does not check your visa. You do need to be legally admitted, because check-in staff verify that your passport carries a valid entry record.

Can I use a mobile boarding pass?

On Air China, an app boarding pass generated for a domestic flight is accepted at security. With a passport booking, expect a document check at a counter first. Carry the physical passport regardless.

Is 20 kg enough for two travelers?

Yes, if you are on one booking and check in at the same counter. The allowance is per passenger and can be combined, giving two economy passengers 40 kg.

Can I bring airport duty-free alcohol on a domestic flight?

Not in the cabin. Domestic security bans carry-on liquids beyond small cosmetics, and a sealed duty-free bag does not exempt you. Check the bottle within your weight allowance, or ship it.

How much does a domestic ticket really cost?

Add ¥50 for the civil aviation development fund and ¥50 to ¥100 for the fuel surcharge. On short budget routes the fees can equal half the fare.

Mixing flights and rail is where itineraries quietly lose a day. Our planners build domestic legs around real transfer times; the city transport guide covers what happens after you land.