Skyteam member China Eastern Airlines has put a great price tag on flights from London-Gatwick to Taipei with a layover in Shanghai. Fares start at €365 (~£313) including full board service and two pieces of checked luggage up to 23 kg each. These flights are available in February and March 2020.
Long haul flights between London and Shanghai are operated by China Eastern Airbus A330-200 aircraft. They feature a 2-4-2 seating pattern in economy with seatback touchscreens available for all passengers.
Search & Book
Fare rules state that flights at this fare are available until November 30, 2019. A minimum stay of six days applies as well as a maximum stay of six months. We’ve been able to find several travel dates in February and March 2020.
Sadly, Google Flights’ calendar does not cache these flights correctly. In such cases, the Airfare Matrix is your best friend. You can find a great tutorial of how to find flights with Chinese carriers using the Matrix here:
Since these fares seem to be available exclusively through online travel agencies, we recommend to enter the travel dates you’ve found in our flight search. While the matrix displays prices around €400, prices drop by €40 when searching the same dates through our engine.
Stopovers in Shanghai can be added for free. You can use this to take advantage of China’s 144-hour-visa-free-transit policy.
Mileage
China Eastern issues tickets for the long haul segments in booking classes T or B. This makes a huge difference, as most Skyteam members credit just 30% of your travel distance in booking class T, but up to 100% in booking class B. You can check that using the Airfare Matrix as well:
In the best cast scenario, a roundtrip from London to Taipei will be credited like this:
- 12,498 Miles on Aeromexico Club Premier
- 12,340 Award Miles + 34 XP on Flying Blue
- 12,340 Miles on Aerolíneas Argentinas AerolíneasPlus
- 12,340 Miles on MEA Cedar Miles
- 12,340 Miles on CSA OK Plus
- 12,340 Miles on Saudia Alfursan
- 12,340 Miles on Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles
- 12,340 Miles on Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles
- 12,340 RDM + 2,468 MQD on Delta SkyMiles
- 12,340 Miles on Air Europa Suma
- 8,638 Award Miles on Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
Information & Tips for Taiwan
Things are complicated when it comes to Taiwan’s political status. The island’s government claims to represent the independent “Republic Of China”, while mainland China views Taiwan as a “rebellious province”.
Regardless of those issues, the island of Formosa provides a heavily urbanized West Coast with Taipei as a masterful example of a modern metropolis. On the opposite, the East Coast is full of natural rain forests and smaller towns and villages. There is no place on earth where Chinese and Japanese culture form a harmonious mixture like in Taiwan, making it a unique place to visit.
Entry & Visa
Most EU-Citizens will receive a 90-day permit upon arrival at any Taiwanese airport. Only a passport valid more than six months after arrival is required.
Best Time to Travel
Taiwan is located in a subtropical climate zone, meaning high humidity all year round. While the southern part experiences a monsoon season from May through August, rainfalls are more evenly distributed through the year in the north. Best travel times are October through January, when rainfalls are low and temperatures are modest.
Currency
Taiwan uses the New Taiwan Dollar as currency. 1€ is worth approx. 35 TWD.
→ All Dealz for Taiwan
Information & Tips for Taipei
Taipei is the largest city of Taiwan. About one third of all Taiwanese poeple live in Tapei’s municipality. The city stands out as unique conflux of Chinese and Japanese culture, architecture and cuisine. Being built into a mountainous region with huge rainforests, even the way from the airport downtown is hugely spectacular. The city is home to the Taipei 101, a skyscraper that used to be the tallest in the world at time of its opening in 2004. Another fascinating aspect is Taipei’s huge network of suburban malls.
Best Time to Visit
Being located in a humid subtropical climate, Tapei’s summers are hot, long lasting and very humid. Occasional heavy rainstorms or typhoons make this time an unpleasent one to visit the city. From November through March, average temperatures are around 20 dregrees and it rains less than during summer, making this an ideal time to visit the city.
From the Airport to the City
International flights arrive almost exclusively at Taipei Taoyuan Int’l airport. Getting to the city is as easy as it can be. A regular and an express metro line connect the airport to the city center. The 5€ ticket includes free Wi-Fi. Further, there are a number of shuttle buses to different parts of the city, operating even at night time. A taxi ride will be around 1000NT$, approx. €30.
→ All Dealz for Taipei
Cover Picture: © nicholashan - Fotolia.com