Oneworld carrier British Airways offers low Business Class fares from Brussels and Luxemburg to Shanghai. The cheapest flight starts at €1,482 from Luxembourg. All flights include a layover in London-Heathrow – connections from Luxembourg tend to have a longer one as the airport isn’t served as reguarly as Brussels.
Airbus A320 family handle inner European flights aircraft. A Boeing 777-200 will take you onwards to Eastern China. These airplanes feature a 2-4-2 configuration in business class. While all seats are reclinable to a lie flat position, half of them are facing backwards.
Search & Book
Fare rules for these tickets are very unrestrictive as neither a travel nor a sales period applies. A minimum stay of at least one night from saturday to sunday is given as well as a maximum stay of one year. There’s plenty of availability between November 2019 and July 2020. Flights leaving Europe on Friday, Saturday and Sunday are harder to find than the rest of the week.
Both fares can be found easily on Google Flights (instructions). After retrieving flight dates, you can buy your tickets through our flight search or ba.com. The latter will see a slight increase of prices around €30.
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
The inner European flights are booking class J, while the international segments are booking class I. These are reasonable booking classes for discounted business fares, granting between 100% and 150% of the distance travelled in award miles:
- 18,316 Points on Finnair Plus
- 18,316 Avios + 350 Tier Credits on Aer Lingus AerClub
- 15,356 Miles on Alaska Mileage Plan
- 14,902 Avios + 86 Qpoints on Qatar Privilege Club
- 14,902 AsiaMiles + 180 Club Points on Asia Miles
- 14,902 Miles on Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- 14,902 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 14,902 Miles on Royal Air Maroc Safar Flyer
- 14,902 Miles on Royal Jordanian Royal Club
- 14,902 Miles on SriLankan FlySmiLes
- 12,030 Points + 24 Elite Points on Malaysia Airlines Enrich
- Customize Calculation
Further, a complete roundtrip from Brussels or Luxembourg to Shanghai and back will earn you 360 tier points in British Airways Executive Club. That brings you close to the limit of 600 tier points that you need to surpass to earn Executive Club Silver tier and the coveted Oneworld Sapphire that comes with it.
British Airways’ Club World Business Class
BA’s Business Class is subject to some mixed reviews. While it offers lie-flat seats in most aircraft configurations, they are deemed to narrow by some costumers. Further, that some business fares do not include free seat selection is critized, as it may cost €60 to select the seat of your choice. A more detailed review of BA’s 777 Business Class can be read here.
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 Shanghai
Shanghai is known for its stunning skyline, with landmarks like the Oriental Pearl Tower, the Bund, and the futuristic Pudong district. The city also offers cultural sights like the Yuyuan Garden and the Shanghai Museum. The currency is the Chinese yuan (CNY), and credit cards are widely accepted. Shanghai is a relatively expensive city, particularly in tourist areas, but affordable options are available for food and accommodation. The weather is humid subtropical, with hot, rainy summers and mild winters, making the best time to visit during spring and autumn when temperatures are more comfortable.
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 Shanghai