Cheap flights from London to Chongqing

November comes out cheapest on this route, and the price calendar runs from September through July, so you can weigh the shoulder months against summer and the Christmas run. Late autumn and early spring tend to sit lower than midsummer, when families travel and fares climb. Midweek departures are usually gentler on the wallet than weekend ones, and a Tuesday or Wednesday connection often costs less than a Friday. Watch Chinese public holidays and UK school breaks, when seats fill early and the cheap fare classes go first. For peak weeks, book a few months ahead; for November itself you can often leave it later.

No airline flies London to Chongqing nonstop, so the carrier you choose decides where you change planes. Qatar Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair and Swiss take you through their own hubs on a single ticket, with bags checked through to Chongqing. China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Xiamen Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines do the same through Chinese cities, which often means a shorter final hop. AirAsiaX is the low-cost name in the mix, and Aer Lingus appears on itineraries that begin with a short hop before the long haul. On the full-service carriers a checked bag and meals come with the ticket; on the low-cost one they cost extra, so compare the total rather than the headline fare.

Chongqing has a single airport, and it lies outside the city rather than beside it, so plan the transfer into town as part of the trip. The rail link is the quickest way in when it is running; taxis and ride-hailing are the fallback, and the taxi queue can be long when several long-haul arrivals land close together. If your itinerary ends with a domestic hop from another Chinese city, check which terminal you land at before you arrange a pickup. Sort out a payment method that works locally before you land, and keep your arrival time in mind, because late at night the rail link may already have stopped.

Currency

CNY (¥)

Power sockets

Type A, C, I · 220 V

Language

Putonghua

Emergency number

110, 119, 120

Driving side

right

Calling code

+86

Internet domain

.cn, .中国

Population of Chongqing

32.1 M (2020)

Time zone

UTC+08 (Asia/Shanghai)

Country facts: Wikidata

• Check which London airport your fare leaves from, since the city has several and the cheap option may not be the one you expected.
• See whether the connection is on one ticket or two, because separate tickets mean you collect your bags and carry the risk of a missed connection.
• Compare the layover airport and the length of the stop, not just the total fare.
• On the low-cost fare, confirm what is included and add a checked bag to the total before deciding.
• Sort your visa and passport for China before you pay, and check the rules for any country you transit.
• If you fly around a Chinese public holiday or a UK school break, book early, because the cheap fare classes go first.