Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China, is on the itinerary for most travelers flying to this ancient land. The best way to get there is with United Airlines and its Star Alliance partners. Together they offer an incredible number of possible connections and stopovers.
United from Newark, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
Air China from Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.
So why look at all of the possibilities? One reason is to find availability for the dates you want to travel. Another is comfort. Not all airlines are created equal. Singapore Airlines, in my opinion, has the best seats in coach. A little bit of extra comfort for such a long flight is crucial. You’re paying the same amount in miles no matter which Star Alliance airline takes you, so do your homework to find the best fit. Keep in mind that you can’t book Singapore Airlines on the United website. You’ll have to call.
Another good reason to be aware of all the options is that United allows a stopover and two open jaws, where you fly into one city and then out of another. Its a great way to see several different places for the price of one.
For example, you could fly to Singapore on Singapore Airlines, stopover for a few days, then continue on your way to Beijing. If you want to take advantage of both a stopover and an open jaw, continue on to Beijing after spending a few days in Singapore, and then buy a cheap Air Asia flight, or pay 10,000 Avios to fly to Hong Kong on Dragon Airlines, and fly home from there.
You can substitute Tokyo, Seoul, Vienna, Cairo, Copenhagen, Bangkok—even Johannesburg—depending on which airline you choose, and I’m sure you’ll see the tremendous benefits of the stopover allowance.
Use the multicity search tool first. If it doesn’t price correctly, go to step two.
Try one-way searches for each segment. In our example, its NYC-SIN, SIN-PEK, and HKG-NYC. If every search shows availability, go to step three.
Write down the dates, times and flight numbers and call United.
If the agent can’t help you, say thank you and call again. This method works like a charm and is certainly worth the extra effort.