Airfare Deals Chicago China Hong Kong Hotel-Airline Loyalty Promotions 2015-Q1 United Airlines United Mileage Plus

Chicago to Hong Kong United roundtrip $597 April or $547 October 2015

Low fares on United earn low miles since March 1, 2015. Still, a low fare deal like Chicago to Hong Kong United roundtrip $547 in K class is a deal, regardless of miles. United and Delta help shove the shift of miles earning to credit cards with the adoption of revenue based miles. Earning miles in United and Delta from flying has become a smaller part of earning for frequent flyers who are not big spenders.

TheFlightDeal.com posted today: United – $547: Chicago – Hong Kong. Roundtrip, including all Taxes

ORD-PEK United-597-April-2015

Departure at 1:10pm in the afternoon out of Chicago ORD is kind of leisurely. The main issue is a 16 hour flight in economy class. Kelley and I both remarked about our sore asses after 11 hours flight time between San Francisco and Amsterdam nonstop on KLM last month. The extensive IFE kept me entertained and my mind off my sore ass.

I still remember SFO-HKG 14 hour flights and how badly my ass hurt for days after two weeks with two roundtrips in economy class to Singapore via Hong Kong back in 2001. I flew on $300 tickets for 35,000 or so elite miles on my way to United Mileage Plus 1K. Mileage Plus Premier Qualifying Dollar revenue requirement to earn 1K with 2015 flying is $12,000. That is more than double what I ever spent to earn 1K.

Return flight on the Chicago-Hong Kong low fare is even worse with an 11pm departure from Hong Kong to Beijing, China for a 2:15am arrival. Flight out is 4:10pm. A hotel room and a few hours of sightseeing? All night airport lounge whore?

Personally, I kind of like the schedule for a few hours of sightseeing in Beijing. I’d probably shoot for a day outside and plan on sleeping from exhaustion for the 13 hour flight from Beijing to Chicago. But is it worth the visa expense for a few hours in Beijing?

There are better schedules flying Cathay Pacific with shorter daytime transit of 3 hours in Beijing on the return segments.

Fare is $547 for some dates October 2015

ORD-PEK United $547-Oct-2015

Good deal. if it works for your travels.

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4 Comments

  • Jon March 9, 2015

    No visa expense required.. Transit visa states going from country A to B to C.

    Hong Kong to China to USA is a valid itinerary for transit.

  • 02nz March 9, 2015

    Not entirely clearly if this is what Jon meant, but the HKG-PEK-ORD itinerary should qualify for the 72-hour visa-free transit, meaning you can leave the airport and stay at a hotel and do some sightseeing, assuming you’re a citizen of a qualifying country. Otherwise the normal transit rules would apply (i.e. you can transit without visa but cannot leave the airport – this is the case in most countries except the US which requires a transit visa even if you have no intention of leaving the airport).

  • Ven March 9, 2015

    Was your KLM flight on a 747? I’ve never had a more sore ass than my AMS-NRT flight on a KLM 747 and their concrete seats.

  • Ric Garrido March 9, 2015

    I have not been to Beijing or anywhere mainland China.

    You are saying there is 72-hour visa-free transit for US flyers?

    That makes this a better opportunity in my opinion for a half-day excursion.

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