Spring Airlines Review - Flight Ratings

A Spring Airlines review: what the low fare buys

Spring Airlines is a private Shanghai carrier that flew its first service on 18 July 2005 and has run the low-cost model harder than anyone in China since. It is the country’s largest low-cost carrier, with 134 Airbus A320 family jets at the end of 2025, and it fills them: a 91.5% load factor and 32.3 million passengers that year. Skytrax certifies it as a 3-Star low-cost airline. That rating is fair. Everything you need to get from A to B is there; everything else is for sale.

Fare tiers and what they include

Spring sells three tiers. The basic fare (超惠飞) gets you a seat and one small carry-on, nothing more. The middle tier (优选飞) adds a 20kg checked allowance if you choose the version with baggage. The top tier (尊享飞) raises the checked allowance to 30kg and the carry-on to 10kg at 20 x 40 x 55cm, and adds a dedicated check-in counter, priority boarding and, on some routes, a meal. The flash sales are real, but the basic fare is the one being advertised. Price the bag before you compare Spring with a full-service carrier.

Spring Airlines baggage rules

The free carry-on on every fare below the top tier is one bag of up to 7kg that fits inside 20 x 30 x 40cm. That is smaller than most international cabin bags, and Spring measures and weighs at check-in and again at the gate. Skytrax lists the strict enforcement as a weakness. We would call it the business model.

Checked bags can be bought on the website or app up to one hour before departure, and online is cheaper. Leave it to the airport and the excess is charged by weight and distance, and Spring’s own English baggage page still says counter fees must be paid in cash in the local currency. Buy online and the question never comes up. Unused allowance bought online is not refunded.

One rule applies to every Chinese airline, not just Spring: since 28 June 2025 power banks without a clear CCC mark are banned from domestic flights. Our travel to China checklist covers what that means for a battery bought abroad.

Seats, boarding and staff

The A320s seat 186 in a single economy cabin and the A321neos 240. Newly delivered aircraft carry slimline seats with a fixed backrest, so do not expect to recline. On a two-hour domestic hop that is fine. On a five-hour run to Bangkok you will notice it.

The operation is functional and quick, which Skytrax also credits. Check-in deadlines vary by airport, so confirm yours; at Shanghai Hongqiao Terminal 1, Spring closes check-in 25 minutes before departure since October 2025, later than the 30 to 35 minutes other airlines there allow. Cabin crew are professional, but Skytrax notes that English is limited, and in July 2026, when the consumer associations of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei summoned ten airlines over overbooking, Spring was the one they publicly criticized: its hotline never reached a human and it ignored their letter. Spring apologized, and all ten were told to finish their fixes by August 31. Save your booking reference and screenshots if anything goes wrong.

Food on board

Meals are an extra. You order them in the app or on the website after booking, from a seasonal menu that includes vegetarian, halal and children’s options. If you change flights, do it at least 36 hours before departure or the meal does not follow you.

Where Spring flies

Spring’s bases are Shanghai Hongqiao and Pudong plus Shenyang, Shijiazhuang, Shenzhen, Yangzhou, Ningbo, Lanzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu, Dalian, Nanchang and Jieyang, with an overseas base at Jeju. At the end of 2025 it flew 234 routes: 181 domestic, 49 international and 4 to Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Thailand is now its biggest international market. Japan used to be, until Beijing ordered Chinese airlines to cut Japan flights in late 2025 amid a diplomatic row. Check the current schedule before planning around a Japan leg.

Do not confuse Spring Airlines (code 9C) with Spring Japan (IJ). Spring Japan began as Spring’s venture but has been a Japan Airlines subsidiary since 2021, with Spring keeping a minority stake. Its baggage rules, fares and service are its own.

Is Spring Airlines worth it?

For domestic flights inside China, yes, if you travel light and book the extras online. You get a modern Airbus, a no-nonsense operation and a fare the state carriers rarely match. Skip it if you are carrying samples or a full suitcase on the basic fare, or if you need an airline that answers the phone. If you’re hopping between Chinese cities on Spring to visit factories or markets, line up a Chinese interpreter for the legs that count.