The three major airline alliances are currently fighting for nonstop passengers between London and Shanghai. Oneworld member British Airways and Star Alliance carrier Air China both sell nonstop economy tickets including a checked bag up to 23 kg for roughly €500 (~£429).
SkyTeam member Virgin Atlantic competes with premium economy fares of £721 (~€840) for a nonstop roundtrip, while charging £431 (~€502) for an economy roundtrip with a checked bag. It’s only £391 (~€456) if your status allows you to bring a checked bag – or you don’t need one at all.
Premium Economy prices have dropped by £50 (~€58). The corresponding section has been updated.
Economy Class
You can fly economy class for the following rates:
- British Airways for £411 (~€479) w/o checked bag
- Virgin Atlantic for £431 (~€502) w/o checked bag
- Air China for €532 (~£456) incl. checked bag
- Virgin Atlantic for £471 (~€549) incl. checked bag
- British Airways for £471 (~€549) incl. checked bag
Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to Virgin Atlantic with your selected flight dates. You can also check what the other airlines have to offer on those dates by using our flight search. You need to search for flights from Gatwick to find Air China’s offer.
You can also reach Shanghai from Dublin for just €395.
Premium Economy Class
Since Air China’s Airbus A330 doesn’t feature a premium economy cabin, your choice there is simpler:
- Virgin Atlantic for £720 (~€839)
- British Airways for £867 (~€1,011)
Again, our calendar previews all flight dates for Virgin’s offer:
Virgin Atlantic uses Boeing 787-9 aircraft on this route, carrying premium economy seats in 2-3-2 seating pattern through the skies, compared to the 3-3-3 in economy class. The very same information is true for British Airways.
Air China schedules an Airbus A330-200 for flights between Shanghai and London-Gatwick. Since the airline is free to use Russia airspace, the travel time with Air China is significantly shorter.
Search & Book
According to the fare rules, Virgin Atlantic’s offers is valid until September 15, 2023. A minimum stay of at least one night from Saturday to Sunday applies. Availbility is extremely good from September 2023 through July 2024, except for a blockout during Chinese New Year in February.
Google Flights helps you find additional flight dates or flights with other airlines. We strongly recommend booking with the airlines, especially when choosing an economy fare including checked bags.
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
Virgin Atlantic issues Economy light tickets in T, economy tickets with checked bags in O and premium economy class flight in K. The cheapest premium economy round trip earns the following mileage:
- 20,098 Miles on Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles
- 17,226 RDM + 2,872 MQD on Delta SkyMiles
- 14,356 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 11,484 Award Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 11,484 Award Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 11,484 Miles on Aerolíneas Argentinas AerolíneasPlus
- 11,484 Miles on MEA Cedar Miles
- 11,484 Miles on CSA OK Plus
- 11,484 Award Miles + 100 Tier Points on Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 11,484 Miles on Korean Air Skypass
- 11,484 Miles on Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles
- 11,484 Miles on Air Europa Suma
- 11,484 Miles on ITA Volare
- 8,614 Award Miles + 48 XP on Flying Blue
You can calculate your earnings with the other carriers using our mileage calculator.
- British Airways Economy books in
O - British Airways Premium Economy in
T - Air China Economy in
P
Destination
Hotel prices in Shanghai usually start at roughly €30, depending on the hotel category. Whichever category and hotel you opt for, make sure to get the best price! Our recommendation is to search on booking.com, or even on our own Travel-Dealz hotel search:
Information & Tips for Shanghai
Shanghai is the most important financial and commercial center of China. But not only business travelers are welcome here. Also, regular tourists can get there money’s worth. And this is great because the city is connected to many major airports and therfor we’ll often present you with good deals for flights to Shanghai.
Best Time to Visit
Since Shanghai is located in a subtropical climate zone, spring and autumn are the best travel times thanks to moderate temperatures and a few rainy days. April, May, September, and October are particularly suitable for a visit to the Chinese city thanks to the low rainfall and humidity.
From the airport to the city
Shanghai Pudong Airport is located 40km east of the city center. Probably the fastest and most exciting method is the Maglev. The magnetic levitation train takes only 7 minutes, and with costs of around 5€ it is also a rather inexpensive (and of course faster!) alternative to a taxi, which would cost about 20€.
→ All Dealz for Shanghai
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