There is currently plenty of China Eastern award availability on direct flights from Cairns to Shanghai. It’s possible to redeem Qantas points for seats on these China Eastern flights, and there are as many as 9 Business Class award seats available on some flights!
China Eastern will operate direct from Cairns to Shanghai over summer. The seasonal service will run on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 9 December 2018 to 1 March 2019. This covers the busy Christmas holidays and Chinese New Year period.
The China Eastern flights to/from Cairns will run to the following schedule:
- MU752 Cairns (CNS) 11:15 – Shanghai (PVG) 18:20
- MU751 Shanghai (PVG) 22:00 – Cairns (CNS) 08:50 +1 day
From the route’s launch in mid-December, there are currently two Business Class seats available on most flights – including over Christmas. But from 7 January 2019, most flights have even more Business award availability! In fact, some flights on Wednesdays and Saturdays in January have as many as 9 Business award seats.
There are as many as five Economy award seats available from Cairns to Shanghai on Saturdays throughout December. For flights from 14 January 2019, there is also plenty of Economy availability on the Monday departures from Cairns.
Award availability appears more limited on the return leg from Shanghai back to Cairns, but there are still some award seats available.
You can book China Eastern award flights using Qantas points on the Qantas website. We recommend using the Delta website to search for award availability if you’re having trouble finding seats on the Qantas website.
China Eastern award availability is also reasonable from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to destinations across China.
Read more: How to Redeem Qantas Points for China Eastern Flights
A Business Class reward seat from Cairns to Shanghai will set you back 65,000 Qantas points and $177.08 in taxes and charges, one-way. The charges for Economy are the same but you’d pay only 35,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points.
Onward connections with China Eastern beyond Shanghai are also available. For example, you could fly Business Class from Cairns to Paris for 121,000 Qantas points plus $262.18. You would need to use the Qantas multi-city booking tool to book this. Cathay Pacific also offers one-stop connections from Cairns to destinations across Europe. But the taxes and overall travel times are higher, and award availability lower, with Cathay Pacific.
The Cairns-Shanghai route will be served by an Airbus A330-200 fitted with China Eastern’s newest lie-flat Business seats. These are laid out in a 1-2-1 configuration, guaranteeing direct aisle access for every Business passenger.
Would you like help with redeeming your frequent flyer points?
Our Frequent Flyer Concierge service can help you to find a great itinerary using your own points, taking away the hard work. Just let the team know how many points you have and where you would like to go.
