Oneworld airline British Airways offers premium economy flights to Shanghai and Beijing from several European cities starting at €839. The price includes two checked bags. You can travel from September 2023.
You can get to Shanghai from the following cities:
- Brussels, Belgium at €839
- Vienna, Austria at €869
- Stockholm, Sweden at SEK 10,601 (~€915)
- Barcelona, Spain at €921
- Paris, France at €931
- Madrid, Spain at €932
- London, UK (non-stop) at £868 (~€1,006)
- and more..
You can reach Beijing from the following cities:
- Brussels, Belgium at €854
- Vienna, Austria at €894
- Stockholm, Sweden at SEK 10,884 (~€940)
- London, UK (non-stop) at £834 (~€967)
Raising the price opens up many origins, even Athens or Bucharest.
Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to British Airways with your preselected flight dates. We filtered out overnight layovers.
You would first fly in BA’s Airbus A320 family economy class from Brussels to London. The long-haul flights will be onboard British Airways’ Boeing 787 Dreamliners, which have a 2-3-2 configuration in premium economy.
Search & Book
The fare rules outline the following:
- Sales period: Unknown
- Travel period: See the availability calendar
- Minimum stay: A Saturday night
- Maximum stay: 12 months
You can use our calendar above that will show you availabilities. Once you selected your dates, it will forward you to British Airways’ website with your preselected flight dates. In this case, we don’t recommend booking through online travel agencies (OTAs), since BA offers the cheapest fares. You can also search more specifically on Google Flights (instructions) for example by setting filters. You can then use our Go2 browser extension to book your flights.
Why is booking with an airline better than with an online travel agency?
More often than not, online travel agencies offer lower fares than airlines do. We still recommend booking with the airlines directly. There are two main reasons for that:
Better Customer Service
In case any problems like delays, cancellations or missed connections arise, you can communicate directly with the airline. The airline has to take care of you because you have a contract with them.
If a travel agency issues your ticket, you may have to reach out to them first. You also depend on your OTA to forward information like flight changes instead of receiving them directly from the airline. In many cases, you may get a prime exhibition of responsibility shifting rather than problem-solving.
This especially applies to premium tickets. You don’t want to spend more than €1,000 to wind up with some budget OTA’s telephone hotline in case anything goes wrong.
Baggage and Other Fees
Economy fares not including hold luggage are industry standard by now. In most cases, travel agencies charge much higher baggage fees than the airlines themselves. If bags are not included in your fare, airlines are often the cheaper alternative.
This also applies to other things like food services, insurances or priority treatment. In almost all cases, you pay less for additional amenities when booking on the airlines’ website.
Mileage
British Airways issues the longer flights in booking class T and the feeder flight in booking class K. This would be your earnings from Brussels:
- 13,548 Miles on American AAdvantage
- 13,484 Avios + 200 Tier Points on British Airways Executive Club
- 13,484 Avios + 880 Elite Points on Iberia Plus
- 12,850 Avios + 70 Qpoints on Qatar Privilege Club
- 11,984 Miles on Alaska Mileage Plan
- 11,784 Avios on Aer Lingus AerClub
- 11,702 Points on Finnair Plus
- 11,702 Miles on Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- 11,702 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 11,702 Points + 18 Elite Points on Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- 11,702 Miles on Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- 11,702 Miles on SriLankan FlySmiLes
- 11,594 AsiaMiles + 80 Club Points on Asia Miles
- 11,594 Miles on Royal Jordanian Royal Club
Destination
Hotel prices in China usually start at roughly €50, depending on the hotel category. Whichever category and hotel you opt for, make sure to get the best price! Our recommendation is to search on booking.com, or even on our own Travel-Dealz hotel search:
As you would transit in London both ways, you cannot use a transit visa without buying another ticket. You could buy a return ticket to Macau or Hong Kong starting at CN¥1,503 (~€195), but it may not be worth it to pay that much extra.
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
Information & Tips for Beijing
China’s capital Beijing is full of historically and contemporary important buildings. Most of them concentrate arround Tian’anmen square – which is sorrounded by government buildings and the entrance to the Forbidden City, the palace that hosted China’s emperors for more than 500 years. Beijing itself is full of attraction that take weeks to discover, but the fun doesn’t end there. Just a 90-minute bus ride away is The Great Wall at Badaling, the best known section of the Great Wall of China.
The Best Time to Visit
Beijing is located in a continental climate zone and is known for its hot, humid summers and its harsh, cold winters. Therefore, the best times to visit are from late March through May and late August through November.
Please be aware that during the Chinese National holidays, usually two weeks after October 1st, the city is overcrowded with Chinese tourists and should be avoided.
From the airport to the city
Beijing Capital Airport, the second busiest worldwide, is very well-connected by public transport. It is served by a regular subway line and an express rail way to the edge of the city centre, which takes 20 Minutes and costs about €3 one way. Further, there are 18 bus lines to different parts of the city (costing €3-5). Of course, taxis are an option as well. A trip to the city centre costs around €12-15, but often take over an hour.
It is not possible to rent a car in China without a Chinese drivers licence.
→ All Dealz for Beijing
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
Cover Picture: © British Airways
Comments (2)
is this still valid regarding the visa?
No, China has started issuing Tourist-visas this week:
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-resume-issuing-all-types-visas-foreigners-bloomberg-news-2023-03-13/