SkyTeam members China Eastern and its subsidiary Shanghai Airlines bring you a very interesting fare from Budapest to China starting at just €646 (~HUF 251,450) to Xi’An. Two checked bags of up to 23kg each are included in the ticket price as well. Departures are available in May and June for Xi’an and Ningbo, and from April to June, as well as September and October, for Shanghai and Chengdu.
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 buy them directly from the airline.
For Chengdu, we limited the search to itineraries without an airport change or an overnight layover. Those could decrease the price further by €30-€50. Because of technical reason, our search will only show results to Chengdu Shuangliu (CTU) airport. You can select the Add nearby airports function on Skyscanner to also show options to/from Chengdu Tianfu (TFU) airport.
The first segment of your flight will be a Shanghai Airlines premium economy class to either. They will be operated by Boeing 787 aircraft with a 2-3-2 seating in premium economy. Your connection flight to Chengdu, operated by China Eastern Airbus A320 or Boeing 737 family aircraft. You will be seated in economy class on these flights.
Until December 2025, citizens of 33 countries in Europe may enter China for 30 days without applying for a visa. It is currently unclear if this policy will be continued in 2026.
Search & Book
The fare rules do not state how long this fare will remain valid. There is a minimum stay of six nights or a Saturday night and a maximum stay of 12 months. Departures are available in May and June for Xi’an and Ningbo, and from April to June, as well as September and October, for Shanghai and Chengdu.
You can use our calendar above to see the availabilities. Once you select your dates, it will forward you to Skyscanner with your preselected flight dates, where you can choose between online travel agencies (OTAs) and China Eastern. Note that you cannot manage your booking online (except for seats) if you don’t book through the airline’s website.
However, China Eastern’s international website is not the greatest and doesn’t show many routing possibilities. You can also search more specifically on Google Flights, for example, by setting filters. You can then use our Go2 browser extension to book your flights.
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.
Miles & Points
The long-haul fights are issued in booking class P, Chinese domestic flights are booking class B.
If you are keen on collecting as many miles as possible, make sure that the long-haul trip from Budapest to China has a China Eastern (MU) instead of a Shanghai Airlines (FM) flight number.
A trip from Budapest to XI’An ticketed by Shanghai Airlines (FM) earns the following mileage:
- 11,240 RDM + 2,248 MQD on Delta SkyMiles
- 9,892 Award Miles + 40 XP on Flying Blue
- 9,892 Miles on Aerolíneas Argentinas AerolíneasPlus
- 9,892 Miles on Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles
- 9,892 Award Miles + 100 Tier Points on Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 9,892 Miles on Aeromexico Club Premier
- Customize Calculation
The same flight booked as a China Eastern (MU) code share flights earns a wider variety of miles and points:
- 13,488 Miles on Air Europa Suma
- 11,240 RDM + 2,248 MQD on Delta SkyMiles
- 9,892 Award Miles + 40 XP on Flying Blue
- 9,892 Miles on Aeromexico Club Premier
- 9,892 Miles on Aerolíneas Argentinas AerolíneasPlus
- 9,892 Miles on MEA Cedar Miles
- 9,892 Miles on Saudia Alfursan
- 9,892 Miles on Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles
- 9,892 Miles on Garuda Indonesia GarudaMiles
- 9,892 Award Miles + 100 Tier Points on Virgin Atlantic Flying Club
- 8,992 Award Miles on Japan Airlines Mileage Bank
- Customize Calculation
Cover Picture: ©victor zastol'skiy - stock.adobe.com