Star Alliance member Lufthansa has started a sale for discounted Premium Economy tickets between Italian Airports and Chinese prime destinations Beijing and Shanghai. The cheapest fare starts at €756 and features economy trips between Italy and Frankfurt and premium economy long haul flights from Frankfurt to China.
These fares are available on lufthansa.com. Flights get a little cheaper on skyscanner:
Flights to Frankfurt will be operated by Lufthansa Airbus A320 family airplanes. The airline plans on sending one of its remaining Airbus A340-600 to Beijing during winter. Shanghai receives Airbus A380 or Boeing 747 service.
Search & Book
The links above will guide you to Lufthansa’s best price search, which is the most convenient way to search and the safest way to book flights. If you want to save up €40, you can search for suiting dates in Google Flights (instructions) and use your results on skyscanner to find even lower fares.
Fare rules state that you have to stay at least six days in China, while your stay may not exceed three months. Travel dates must be between September 1, 2019 and March 30, 2020. The only other restriction ist that this offer expires on July 8, 2019. It will most likely run out of availability sooner.
Mileage
Long haul tickets are issued in booking class N, while Lufthansa tickets short haul flights in booking class Y. Both are full fare booking classes, resulting in a respectable output of award mileage. The following example is given for a Rome to Shanghai roundtrip:
- 18,298 CV Points on Vistara Club Vistara
- 13,508 Award Miles + 200 Points on Miles&More
- 13,508 Miles on Aegean Miles+Bonus
- 13,508 Points on SAS EuroBonus
- 13,008 Miles on Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles
- 12,794 Award Miles + 1,858 PQP on United MileagePlus
- 12,794 Miles on Copa ConnectMiles
- 12,794 Award Miles + 12,198 Tier Miles on Avianca LifeMiles
- 12,794 Miles on Egyptair Plus
- 12,318 Miles on Thai Royal Orchid Plus
- 12,198 Miles on Asiana Club
- 12,198 Miles on EVA Infinity MileageLands
- 12,198 Miles on Ethiopian ShebaMiles
- 12,198 Miles on Singapore KrisFlyer
- 12,198 Miles on TAP Miles&Go
- 12,198 Award Miles on LATAM Pass
- 11,604 Miles on Air Canada Aeroplan
- 8,896 Miles on ANA Mileage Club
Lufthansa’s Premium Economy
In comparison to other airlines, Lufthansa’s Premium Economy is solid, but not outstanding. The reclining seats and legroom are above average. Still, cabin service and entertainment are almost the same as in LH’s economy class product.
In contrast to its regular economy seats, Lufthansa offers broader and more comfortable seats in Premium Economy, switching from a 3-4-3 / 3-3-3 seat alignment to 2-4-2 (Boeing 747 and Airbus A380) or 2-3-2 on its other wide-body aircraft. Furthermore, you can check two bags up to 23 kg at no additional cost. While the food is identical, it’ll be served on chinaware instead of plastic.
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
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 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