Star Alliance member Lufthansa has put out some decent business class fares for travel from Norway to China, selling business class tickets to Shanghai for as little as NOK 16,914 (~€1,439). These fares are available from Oslo and Bergen with a stop in Frankfurt or Munich each. Availability starts in September 2023.
Our availability calendar highlights all possible flight dates at the lowest price for trips up to 28 days. It will forward you to Lufthansa with your selected flight dates.
There are several possibilities for these journeys. European flights are operated either by SAS or Lufthansa, with some itineraries from Bergen including a second stop in Oslo.
On the long-haul flights, you have three options: Flights via Munich are Lufthansa Airbus A350-900 services, with the airlines’ signature 2-2-2 business class product. The same is used on Lufthansa’s Boeing 747, that operate flights between Frankfurt and Shanghai. The best option might actually be Air China’s Airbus A350 between Shanghai and Frankfurt with contemporary 1-2-1 seating.
Many of our readers may have already experienced Lufthansa’s business class. Generally, Travel-Dealz writers and readers are not big fans of the Lufthansa business class, even though it is definitely not bad. One reason for that is that the service is too inconsistent: From extremely friendly and quick to unfriendly and slow – everything is possible with Lufthansa, even in business class.
Thanks to our reader Connell who gave us notice via Report a Deal!
Search & Book
The fare rules don’t limit this fare to a specific sales or travel period. You need to stay at least six days or a night from Saturday to Sunday in Shanghai to get the lowest fare. Availability is fairly good from September 2023 onwards.
Google Flights will show you additional availability. While the travel dates are accurate, not all connections displayed by the tool can be booked on Lufthansa’s website. Despite that, we highly recommend purchasing your tickets there.
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
Lufthansa issues tickets for all flight segments in booking class P. Star Alliance frequent flyers can earn the following mileage for a trip via Munich both ways:
- 25,092 CV Points on Vistara Club Vistara
- 15,684 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 12,546 Award Miles + 2,510 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 12,546 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 12,546 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 12,546 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 12,408 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 11,728 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 8,782 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
- 5,520 Award Miles + 480 Points on Miles&More
Destination
Hotel prices in Shanghai usually start at roughly €40, 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
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