SkyTeam member China Eastern Airlines is currently dishing out one great fare after the other. This time, we focus on heavily discounted round trips from Rome to both Tokyo and Seoul. In contrast to other offers from the Shanghai based carrier, it doesn’t require you to spend long layovers at Chinese airports. While the fare includes checked bags, the major downside is its (very) short term availability. You can only score it for departures in January 2024.
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 also check what OTAs have to offer or go to China Eastern’s website, where prices start at US$602 (~€563).
All itineraries feature two short stops in Shanghai. The long-haul flights from Italy to China are operated by China Eastern’s Boeing 777 fleet. Sadly, like the majority of its competitors, the airline went for a 3-4-3 seating in economy class (instead of the 3-3-3 the manufacturer intended), making the long flights are rather narrow experience.
Search & Book
The fare rules for these tickets are very nonrestrictive, as they feature no sales period and no minimum stay. The travel period ends in June 2024, but availabilities cease much sooner, with the bulk of departures being within the next four weeks.
Google Flights previews available flight dates accurately. After finding your preferred travel dates, proceed to Skyscanner or China Eastern’s website to find a place to buy these tickets. Make sure that your vendor doesn’t cheat you out of the included hold luggage.
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
China Eastern issues all flight segments in booking class Z. The cheaper and shorter trip to Seoul earns the following miles and points:
- 3,724 Miles on Aeromexico Club Premier
- 3,106 RDM + 622 MQD on Delta SkyMiles
Cover Picture: Valentin Beauvais
Comment (1)
Isn’t 3-4-3 the standard on 777s nowadays? I swear there’s only a handful of airlines that still do 3-3-3 in those planes.