Star Alliance carrier LOT Polish Airlines is offering cheap premium economy tickets from Amsterdam to Beijing, with prices going as low as €826. Flights arrive in Beijing’s new Daxing airport (PKX). A change of planes in Warsaw is necessary both ways.
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. From there, you can check what OTAs have to offer or go to LOT’s website – the airline charges roughly €30 for these tickets.
Flights between Amsterdam and Warsaw are regular economy flights. After a short stop, you will go on to China on LOT’s Boeing 787-8 fleet.
LOT’s premium economy is similar to that of Lufthansa but offers other advantages. There are 49.5 cm wide seats in a 2-3-2 arrangement, while the space to the seat in front is 96.5 cm or 38 inches big.
In premium economy, each passenger is allowed to check in two pieces of luggage (23 kg each), which are tagged with a priority tag.
While the shortest route traverses Belarusian and Russian airspace, LOT is not allowed to fly these routes and take a more Southern path.
Search & Book
This fare is valid without an expiration date. You can find availabilities between December 2023 and June 2024.
Google Flights helps you find additional flight dates. While online travel agencies sell the cheapest tickets, paying €30 to book directly with the airline has some advantages.
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
LOT issues the premium economy segment in booking class R and the economy segment in booking class Y. This is what a trip from Stockholm would earn you:
- 11,174 Award Miles + 200 Points on Miles&More
- 9,874 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 9,734 Award Miles + 1,178 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 9,734 Miles on Asiana Club
- 9,734 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 9,734 Miles on Aegean Miles+Bonus
- 9,734 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 9,734 Miles on EVA Infinity MileageLands
- 9,734 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 9,734 Miles on Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 9,734 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 9,734 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 9,734 Miles on TAP Miles&Go
- 9,734 Miles on Avianca LifeMiles
- 9,734 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 9,734 Miles on Egyptair Plus
Destination
Hotel prices in Beijing usually start at roughly €60, 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 Beijing
China’s capital Beijing is full of historically and contemporary important buildings. Most of them concentrate arround Tian’anmen square – which is sorrounded by government buildings and the entrance to the Forbidden City, the palace that hosted China’s emperors for more than 500 years. Beijing itself is full of attraction that take weeks to discover, but the fun doesn’t end there. Just a 90-minute bus ride away is The Great Wall at Badaling, the best known section of the Great Wall of China.
The Best Time to Visit
Beijing is located in a continental climate zone and is known for its hot, humid summers and its harsh, cold winters. Therefore, the best times to visit are from late March through May and late August through November.
Please be aware that during the Chinese National holidays, usually two weeks after October 1st, the city is overcrowded with Chinese tourists and should be avoided.
From the airport to the city
Beijing Capital Airport, the second busiest worldwide, is very well-connected by public transport. It is served by a regular subway line and an express rail way to the edge of the city centre, which takes 20 Minutes and costs about €3 one way. Further, there are 18 bus lines to different parts of the city (costing €3-5). Of course, taxis are an option as well. A trip to the city centre costs around €12-15, but often take over an hour.
It is not possible to rent a car in China without a Chinese drivers licence.
→ All Dealz for Beijing
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
Cover Picture: © LOT