Raining Deals: British Airways Business Class to Asia from $1,350

Posted By Stephen Hoechst on Feb 10, 2020 | 2 comments

It’s raining deals, hallelujiah. It’s raining deals, amen!

Some days, you just can’t keep up with all the deals coming in. Today is one of those days, but we’re not upset. This time, British Airways is joining in on the fun, offering business class fares between Europe and Asia for under $1,400.

The Deals

British Airways is currently offering round trip business class fares between Spain and Shanghai starting at $1,350. Unlike some of the other deals we shared today, these are good for solo travel as well. Prices are pretty interchangeable for both Madrid and Barcelona, so pick your favorite and go from there. If you’re looking to build in a couple days in Spain, you really can’t go wrong with either. All flights include a brief connection in London, giving you a chance to grab a bite and refresh in a lounge before continuing onto Shanghai.

Dates are currently wide open right now from April through the end of the schedule. That includes peak holiday travel on Christmas and New Years. We had a chance to visit Shanghai last year and really loved it. Especially the dumplings.

How to Make These Even Sweeter

British Airways First Class

British Airways makes upgrading their flights incredibly easy using Avios. In fact, upgrading cheap fares to business and first is one of the best uses of Avios out there. That’s no different on these flights.

As you might expect, upgrade availability is wide open right now. There are numerous days with at least two first class seats available for upgrade between April and January. An upgrade will run you 27,000-30,000 Avios each way, depending on the date you travel. If you’re not familiar with upgrading using Avios, Jon has a great guide on how to do it.

A Word of Caution

It goes without saying that the situation in China is not to be taken lightly right now. British Airways suspended all flights to China through the end of March, while the US State Department has warned against travel there. If these deals were just for the next few months, I wouldn’t share them. However, because the deals extend through the end of the year and include peak holiday travel, I’ve decided to share them. It’s ultimately up to you to decide whether you’re willing to book future travel to China at this point.

With that being said, eventually travel to China will resume. If it doesn’t the airline will refund you when they cancel.

Where to Credit

If you decide that this deal is for you, there are a couple of places to consider crediting these flights. If you’re looking for the most miles, the best program by far is Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. With Alaska, you’re looking at over 32,000 redeemable miles and nearly 20,000 elite qualifying miles. Those numbers obviously balloon even more if you hold elite status with Alaska.

Another consideration is British Airways Executive Club. While you won’t earn as many Avios (~20,000), what makes this interesting is the possibility of earning Oneworld elite status. These flights would earn you 360 tier points and four segments on BA – enough for Bronze status. At that point, you’d only need one cheap business class return trip across the pond with any Oneworld carrier to earn BA Silver status. That’s the equivalent of Oneworld Sapphire status, which grants you access to American Airlines’ Admirals Club lounges on domestic flights.

Final Thoughts

We always like to share the best deals we can find and let you decide what works best for you. If you’re okay with going, you can score a fantastic deal here. However, we post these deals for you, so if you’re not interested in them going forward please let us know. Sound off in the comments if you’d like us to continue to share deals to China or avoid them altogether.