China: €1,260 in Qatar Airways Business Class From Budapest

Qatar Aircraft

Oneworld member Qatar Airways offers some attractive Business Class fares to Chinese cities Hangzhou and Chongqing. Flights with a single layover in Doha start at HUF 426,000 (~€1,092) for a roundtrip to Chongqing and HUF 452,000 (~€1,159) to Hangzhou. Since Qatar recently upgraded its afternoon flights from Budapest to Airbus A330 service, you can expect lie flat seats on all flight segments.

Review Your Journey 2020 01 20 10 11 30
A €1,260 roundtrip to China that gets you really close to Oneworld Sapphire tier.

If you leave Budapest on QR200 in the afternoon, all flights are scheduled to be Airbus A330 service. These planes feature Qatar Airways’ oldest business class product. You can expect lie flat seats arranged in a 2-2-2 pattern. You can find a detailed review of the product here. Choosing the morning departure QR202 may result in boarding an Qatar Airways A320 and ending up in a short haul business class cabin.

Search & Book

According to fare rules, these cheap tickets are available for trips of at least four days, but not longer than a month. Tickets could be sold until April 28th and the offer is valid for trips commencing until the same date. A stopover in Doha can be added on either the out- or inbound leg, free of charge.

You can find dates on which the lowest fare easily on Google Flights (instructions). You can use these dates to book directly on qatarairways.com. While this is the safest option, you may get lucky finding an even cheaper ticket by using the same dates in our flight search.

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

These tickets are booking class R. The trip from Budapest to Hangzhou can earn you the following amount of miles:

  • 19,484 Miles on American AAdvantage
  • 16,234 Avios + 130 Qpoints on Qatar Privilege Club
  • 16,234 AsiaMiles + 170 Club Points on Asia Miles
  • 16,234 Points on Finnair Plus
  • 16,234 Miles on Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
  • 16,234 Points on JetBlue TrueBlue
  • 16,234 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
  • 16,234 Miles on MEA Cedar Miles
  • 16,234 Miles on Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
  • 16,234 Miles on Royal Jordanian Royal Club
  • 16,234 Award Miles on Oman Air Sindbad
  • 16,234 Miles on Alaska Mileage Plan
  • 16,234 Avios + 3,246 Tier Points on The British Airways Club
  • 16,234 Avios + 3,700 Elite Points on Iberia Plus 2025
  • 12,988 Award Miles on Bangkok Airways FlyerBonus
  • 12,988 Points + 28 Elite Points on Malaysia Airlines Enrich
  • 12,988 Miles on SriLankan FlySmiLes
  • Customize Calculation
Data provided by miles.travel-dealz.com. Without guarantee on correctness.

Further, both roundtrips are worth 560 tier points in British Airways Executive Club, getting you near the coveted Oneworld Sapphire status.

To earn this status and the alliance wide lounge access that comes with it, you need additional 40 tier points and 4 flight segments on either British Airways or Iberia. A basic economy ticket from Budapest to i.e. Portugal via London or Madrid should do the trick.

Information & Tips for China

China offers a wide range of sights, from historical landmarks like the Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, and the Forbidden City to modern cities like Shanghai and scenic areas such as Zhangjiajie and Guilin. The currency is the Chinese yuan (CNY), and mobile payments via apps like Alipay and WeChat Pay are widely used, though cash is still accepted. Prices vary—major cities can be moderate to expensive, while rural areas are generally more affordable. Weather conditions differ greatly by region, with cold winters in the north, hot, humid summers in the south, and a generally best travel period in spring or autumn.

China has a highly developed transport system, especially in urban and coastal areas. Most major cities have extensive metro networks that are cheap, efficient, and easy to navigate with English signage. For travel between cities, the high-speed rail network is one of the most advanced in the world, connecting even distant regions quickly and reliably. In rural or less-developed areas, transport options can be more limited and slower, but basic bus or train connections are usually available.

We’ve compared various eSIM providers, such as eSIM4Travel, RedteaGo, and Textr. To see which plan is best for your travel needs, and which network offers the best coverage, feel free to read our detailed guide:

The Best eSIM Plans for China 🇨🇳 Compared

→ All Dealz for China

Information & Tips for Hangzhou

Hangzhou is famous for its breathtaking natural beauty, especially the iconic West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage site dotted with temples, pagodas, and gardens. Other notable attractions include the Lingyin Temple, the Hefang Street Ancient Culture Block, and the Xixi National Wetland Park. The currency is the Chinese yuan (CNY), and credit cards are widely accepted. Hangzhou is a moderately priced city, with options ranging from budget-friendly local eateries to more luxurious dining and lodging. The weather is humid subtropical, featuring hot, humid summers and cool, damp winters. The ideal times to visit are during spring and autumn, when the climate is most comfortable for sightseeing.

Climate diagram for Hangzhou (Source: WMO World Weather Information Service)

We’ve compared various esim providers, such as eSIM4Travel, RedteaGo, and Textr. To see which plan is best for your travel needs and which network offers the best coverage, feel free to read our detailed guide:

The Best eSIM Plans for China 🇨🇳 Compared

→ All Dealz for Hangzhou

Information & Tips for Chongqing

Thanks to a bit of trickery of the Chinese government, Chongqing is the world’s largest city in population as well as size. It is known for its mountainous terrain, spicy hotpot, and sights like the Dazu Rock Carvings and the Yangtze River cruise. The currency is the Chinese yuan (CNY), and mobile payment apps like WeChat Pay and Alipay are widely used, often more than cash or cards. Prices are generally lower than in Beijing or Shanghai, with affordable public transport and food. The climate is humid subtropical, with hot, damp summers and mild winters, and frequent fog throughout the year.

Climate diagram for Chongqing (Source: WMO World Weather Information Service)

We’ve compared various eSIM providers, such as eSIM4Travel, RedteaGo, and Textr. To see which plan is best for your travel needs, and which network offers the best coverage, feel free to read our detailed guide:

The Best eSIM Plans for China 🇨🇳 Compared

→ All Dealz for Chongqing

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