Chinese police start fraud probe over claims students were overcharged for flights home

Chinese police have launched a fraud investigation over claims that scalpers charged Chinese students who were desperate to return home at the height of the Covid-19 outbreak up to 20 times the usual rate for plane tickets. The market price for flights shot up as countries around the world began introducing flight restrictions. Chinese media reported that the cost of return flights between China and the US or Europe rose from around 8,000-9,000 yuan (US$1,100-1,300) to around 20,000 to 40,000 yuan (US$2,900-5,800). But many of these tickets are suspected to have made their way into the hands of third parties, pushing the final cost up to around 100,000 yuan. An insider at one travel company told Guangming Daily that at one point an economy class ticket had been inflated to 180,000 yuan (US$26,200). In late March, China’s aviation regulator rolled out a controversial policy that restricted airlines to one flight per week. As prices began to surge, the aviation authority in mid-April published a notice ordering airlines to sell tickets directly to prevent speculation, but agents still appear to have found ways round those restrictions. A source told the newspaper that Beijing and Shanghai police have set up a specialised team to investigate the fraud claims, with several travel agencies and airline employees being investigated.<br/>