China: SkyTeam Flights From Prague Starting at €433 (incl. Luggage)

Guangzhou China

SkyTeam airlines KLM, Air France, Xiamen Air, China Eastern, and ex-SkyTeam member China Southern are currently partnering up to offer a very good deal from various Czech airports to 17 Chinese destinations. Although KLM and Air France now usually charge extra for luggage, their websites clearly state that luggage is included in these flights. The other airlines also allow one piece of luggage.

We found cheap flights to the following destinations:

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When flying to Beijing, you can fly with Air France and KLM. Other destinations often require a segment with a Chinese airline

Unless you’re flying with China Eastern, you would usually first fly to Amsterdam or Paris, and then head on to China. As stated in the introduction, all airlines will allow you to bring one suitcase. China Eastern apparently even allows 2 pieces of luggage. Drinks and meals are also included at all airlines.

If you’re flying to one of the lesser-known Chinese destinations, your trip will usually have a second layover in China, from where one of the Chinese airlines will fly you to your destination.

Search & Book

The fare rules vary a bit according to the airline and destination. All fare rules state that the trip has to be at least 6 days (or a Sunday) long and may not exceed 3 months. Your trip may take place before July or between August 21st and December 21st.

You should use Google Flights to find the available dates that suit you best. Sadly, the China Eastern prices, which are the cheapest, don’t get displayed correctly on Google’s calendar, so for those, you might have to try around a bit.

Once you’ve found the flight you wish to book, look it up on our Travel-Dealz flight search, where you’ll get the cheapest fare. Usually, however, the price on klm.com won’t be much higher.

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.

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: © SeanPavonePhoto - Fotolia.com

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