Star Alliance carrier Air China is offering cheap flights from Scandinavia to Shanghai. Some of the European connecting flights are operated by SAS or Lufthansa. Prices start at €1,348 from Oslo. Stockholm and Copenhagen as origins are also possible at a higher price.
Judging from several reviews, the quality of Air China’s business class product is often inconsistent but generally speaking slightly better than average:
Search & Book
According to the fare rules a minimum stay of 6 days is required. The stay cannot exceed a duration of 3 months. Travel has to be commenced before May 31, 2020. Stopovers are not permitted. There are no blackout dates. Availability seems to be great. The deal expires October 31, 2019.
Unfortunately Google Flights does not display Air China fares. Therefore you will need to use the ITA Matrix to find available dates. You can use the following settings:
After you have found your preferred travel dates, use our Travel-Dealz flight search to book the cheapest online travel agent rates. Or if you prefer booking with the airline directly, go straight to airchina.com.
Mileage
The different segments are issued in different booking classes. The European connecting flights are in booking class D. The long haul flights to China are in booking class R and if there is a connecting flight in China, this flight is issued in booking class J. Our above routing would let you accrue the following mileage with the various frequent flyer programs (the Miles&More accrual is wrong – you will accrue 100% with Air China’s booking class R according to the Miles&More website):
- 13,772 Miles on Aegean Miles+Bonus
- 13,772 Award Miles + 2,755 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 13,601 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 13,431 AsiaMiles on Asia Miles
- 13,431 Miles on Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 13,431 Miles on Egyptair Plus
- 13,431 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 13,431 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 13,431 Miles on TAP Miles&Go
- 13,294 Miles on EVA Infinity MileageLands
- 13,260 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 12,282 Award Miles + 10,607 Tier Miles on Avianca LifeMiles
- 12,282 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 11,941 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 11,941 Miles on Asiana Club
- 11,941 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 11,290 Award Miles + 440 Points on Miles&More
Information & Tips for China
China is the most populous and the third largest country in the world, so naturally, there is a lot to see. The most touristically important cities are the capital of China, Beijing and the financial and trade center Shanghai.
Best Time to Travel
Since the country is vast and extends over several climate zones, there is no best travel time for China. China is connected to Europe through numerous direct flights and the travel time is about 11-13 hours. Flights to China can be found for less than 400€ throughout the year, and there are also often excellent Business Class fares.
A general advice is that travel should be avoided during the Chinese national holidays, which span over the first two weeks of October. During these time tourist destinations are overcrowded with Chinese tourists on their domestic vacation.
Visa for China
Most European citizens will need a visa to enter China.
You can apply for a tourist visa at a Visa Application Service Center (CVASC) in your country. There you’ll hand in your visa application personally and can pick it up again after a few days. There is no faster and cheaper way.
Alternatively, you can apply for a visa by mail. The processing time will be up to two weeks, and you’ll have to pay for extra for shipping.
There are also so-called Visa services available that sometimes offer a faster (and maybe even cheaper) way to get your Visa. Check local sites to find out more.
→ All Dealz for China
Information & Tips for Shanghai
Shanghai is the most important financial and commercial center of China. But not only business travelers are welcome here. Also, regular tourists can get there money’s worth. And this is great because the city is connected to many major airports and therfor we’ll often present you with good deals for flights to Shanghai.
Best Time to Visit
Since Shanghai is located in a subtropical climate zone, spring and autumn are the best travel times thanks to moderate temperatures and a few rainy days. April, May, September, and October are particularly suitable for a visit to the Chinese city thanks to the low rainfall and humidity.
From the airport to the city
Shanghai Pudong Airport is located 40km east of the city center. Probably the fastest and most exciting method is the Maglev. The magnetic levitation train takes only 7 minutes, and with costs of around 5€ it is also a rather inexpensive (and of course faster!) alternative to a taxi, which would cost about 20€.
→ All Dealz for Shanghai
Cover Picture: © chungking - Fotolia.com