SkyTeam member China Eastern Airlines and its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines currently sell heavily discounted tickets from Budapest to Melbourne and Sydney, with prices going as low as €671 (~HUF 264,941). A change of planes in Shanghai is necessary to get the lowest fare.
Between flights, you might need to spend as many as 20 hours in China to get the cheapest ticket. Luckily, visa-free-entry to the country is currently possible for many European citizens. And even if your passport doesn’t allow visa-free travel, you can still apply for a transit-visa and explore the city.
Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to Skyscanner with your selected flight dates. There you can check what OTAs have to offer, or let the site forward you to China Eastern’s website, where flights are €30 more expensive.
Flights between Budapest and Shanghai are Shanghai Airlines Boeing 787-9 services. You can expect the regular 3-3-3 seating patter in economy class. From there, you will continue your journey on a China Easter plane: A Airbus A350-900 takes you to Sydney, while a Boeing 787 operates flights to Melbourne. Both feature a state-of-the-art economy class seat with personal in-flight-entertainment.
Search & Book
The fare rules don’t offer a travel period, sales period or minimum stay.
Google Flights will help you find additional flight dates. The site also hints at cheap tickets to Auckland, but price usually jump by at least €100 when selecting dates. Since booking on China Eastern’s website is prone to errors and the airlines isn’t exactly famous for top-notch communication, booking via an online travel agency isn’t a bad choice.
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.
Miles & Points
China Eastern issues all flight segments in booking class Z. A trip to Melbourne earns SkyTeam members the following miles and points:
- 6,108 Miles on Aeromexico Club Premier
Destination
Information & Tips for Australia
Australia, also know as ‘Down Under’, is an absolute dream destination because of its distance to Europe and its beautiful countryside. But because it’s so far away, the flights are costly. Nevertheless, there is always Dealz for less than 1.000€.
Best Time to Visit
Australia is a vast country with different climate zones. Summers (November to February) are hot and mostly dry, winters (June to September) are relatively mild.
Entry & Visa
Most European citizens require an eVisa which has to be issued before your arrival. You can apply online, and the process will be free of charge.
Finding the Best eSIM Plan
We’ve compared various eSIM providers, such as RedteaGO and Airalo. 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 Australia 🇦🇺 Compared
→ All Dealz for Australia
Information & Tips for Sydney
Sydney is Australia’s most populous city and offers a lot to see for tourists. The metropolis on the east coast of the country is also Australia’s largest transport and trade center and therefore relatively easy to reach.
Flights to Australia usually start at around €1,000 for Economy Class tickets. However, we regularly show you deals with prices far below € 1,000.
From the airport to the city
The airport is 9km from the city center and easily accessible by train, bus, taxi, and ferry. A ride by train costs about 10€, a taxi ride about 25€.
→ All Dealz for Sydney
Information & Tips for Melbourne
Although Melbourne is not the capital of Australia, the metropolis with a population of 4.4 million is in constant competition with Sydney for becoming the cultural capital of the country.
From the airport to the city
Depending on the traffic, the journey by Skybus or taxi takes between 30 and 60 minutes. Airport busses cost around 9€, a taxi ride between 35€ – 42€, Uber is slightly cheaper.
Best Time to Visit
Spring (September to November) and autumn (March to May) are the most suitable periods for tourism thanks to moderate temperatures and right weather conditions.
→ All Dealz for Melbourne
Comments (2)
China Eastern Z doesn’t earn on Delta! Wheretocredit hoodwinked my last month.
True, we had noticed the change for booking class P last month but didn’t see that booking class Z was also affected. Thanks for pointing it out, we’ve fixed the mistake now