London
→
Chongqing
from £417 return
About this deal
Finally, a cheap China fare with a schedule I actually like. This is London Heathrow to Chongqing nonstop in both directions with Tianjin Airlines, from £417 return through Travel Junction via Skyscanner UK.
The timings are unusually clean for a long-haul China deal: LHR 21:00 → CKG 15:50+1 outbound and CKG 15:00 → LHR 19:00 on the return. No connection, no airport change and no horrible middle-of-the-night arrival.
A 23kg checked bag is included, and I found 12 prepared date combinations from late October through mid-December 2026 at the same headline price. Tianjin Airlines is less familiar to many UK travellers than the largest Chinese network carriers, so I would still read the fare conditions carefully and keep expectations realistic about after-sales support and product consistency.
Search market: Skyscanner UK
Airline: Tianjin Airlines
Routing: Nonstop both ways
Checked baggage: 23kg included
Destination stay: 9 hotel nights
Typical flight schedule
Tianjin Airlines GS7966 · nonstop
London Heathrow 21:00 → Chongqing 15:50+1
Journey time: 10h50
This is a very useful long-haul schedule: you leave London in the evening and reach Chongqing in the afternoon the next day, with no connection or airport change.
Tianjin Airlines GS7965 · nonstop
Chongqing 15:00 → London Heathrow 19:00
Journey time: 12h00
The afternoon departure lets you avoid a brutal early-morning airport run, while the 19:00 Heathrow arrival is far easier to deal with than a late-night landing.
Baggage + fare details
The headline price is strong, but what really improves this deal is the combination of nonstop flights, afternoon arrival in China and an evening arrival back at Heathrow. You are not sacrificing an entire extra day to ugly connections just to hit the cheap fare.
Airline familiarity is the main compromise. Tianjin Airlines is a legitimate operating carrier, but it is less familiar to many UK travellers than the largest Chinese network airlines. I would therefore check the exact fare rules, contact details and final baggage allowance carefully before paying, especially when booking through an OTA.
Route map
A direct long-haul route from Heathrow to southwest China with no connection or airport change.
LHRLondon HeathrowCKGChongqingFare proof
The reference itinerary was showing at £417 return through Travel Junction via Skyscanner UK, with cabin baggage and 23kg checked baggage included.
Booking options
This is the fare used for the deal. Skyscanner was showing Travel Junction at 4.5/5 from 857 reviews when checked. As with any OTA booking, confirm names, baggage, change rules and the final total before payment.
Check the live fare →The Skyscanner results also showed other established sellers close to the headline fare. If the difference is small, it can be worth choosing the seller you are most comfortable dealing with rather than chasing the final few pounds.
Compare sellers on Skyscanner →For me, this is worth publishing because the cheap fare does not come with the usual punishment of an awful connection or a 03:00 arrival. You get a clean nonstop schedule, a normal checked-bag allowance and broad date availability.
Check reference fare →Availability is a major strength here. I found 12 prepared combinations from late October through mid-December 2026, all using the same nonstop schedule and showing around the same £417 headline fare when checked.
Finally, a cheap direct China fare with a schedule that does not punish you. £417 return from Heathrow to Chongqing nonstop, with 23kg checked baggage and 12 prepared date combinations, is genuinely strong. The main compromise is simply that Tianjin Airlines is a less familiar product and brand for many UK travellers.
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Chongqing hotel playbook
Chongqing is one of those cities where your hotel budget can stretch surprisingly far. 5-star hotels with excellent guest reviews can sometimes start from around £50 per night — roughly £25 per person when two people share. For the first three nights of the reference trip, my pick is Four Points by Sheraton Chongqing: a polished international-brand base in Jiefangbei / Yuzhong, right in the middle of the action.
£164 total for 3 nights. Check my hotel price strategy below.
💰 How I compare hotel prices
For a first visit I would search Jiefangbei / Yuzhong first, then compare the exact hotel and room you actually want.
Open the hotel on Booking.com, then simply leave Karma active while you browse. On this exact stay, Karma found the same 3 nights for £164 via Expedia instead of £187 on Booking.com.
Match room type, taxes, breakfast and cancellation rules. A cheaper headline price is only useful if it is genuinely the same stay.
🏨 Our pick for the first 3 nights
For the first three nights I like this as a very easy landing base. You are in Jiefangbei / Yuzhong, one of the most convenient areas for a first visit, with restaurants, shopping, riverfront sights and metro access around you. The hotel itself feels modern and straightforward rather than over-the-top: comfortable rooms, city views, restaurant, fitness centre and the reassurance of a familiar international brand. At this price, the appeal is simple — location + comfort + very strong value.
⏳ How many nights in Chongqing?
Enough for a quick taste of Jiefangbei, Hongya Cave, the river views and one big hotpot dinner.
A very good city-break length and exactly why I like the Four Points as the first base.
Better if you want a slower pace, more neighbourhoods and a day trip without rushing.
Plenty of time to combine Chongqing with side trips or another Chinese city rather than staying in one neighbourhood throughout.
📍 Best areas to stay in Chongqing
Best first-timer base for sights, food, shopping, metro connections and the classic central-city feel.
Good for river views, Raffles City and easy access to the meeting point of the Yangtze and Jialing rivers.
Livelier local-commercial feel with shopping, restaurants and nightlife; useful if you want something less tourist-centred.
Excellent skyline views back toward central Chongqing, especially after dark.
🗺️ Where to go next on a longer trip
An easy pairing for pandas, Sichuan food and a different city atmosphere. Great for 2–3 extra nights.
A strong nature add-on for dramatic limestone scenery and a very different side of the Chongqing region.
A worthwhile cultural day trip or overnight option if history and Buddhist art are high on your list.
Further away, but a spectacular extension if you want to turn the trip into a broader China itinerary.
⚠️ Chongqing survival kit
Download the maps, translation tools and any travel apps you want before arrival. A few minutes of setup can make the first day much easier.
China is heavily mobile-payment oriented. Set up your preferred payment option before the trip and keep a backup card / some cash.
This is not a flat walking city. Comfortable shoes matter, and the metro can save a lot of vertical effort.
If your spice tolerance is limited, ask for a milder broth or a split pot rather than discovering your limits mid-dinner.
Chongqing is at its best when you mix the futuristic city with the landscape around it. Look at city-night tours, Hongya Cave / riverfront experiences, the Yangtze River Cableway, Wulong Karst and Dazu day trips — then only book what genuinely fits your route.
A few useful extras that can make the journey easier, particularly when travelling with restrictive cabin-bag fares, arriving late or needing mobile data as soon as you land.
A useful packing solution when you are trying to fit more clothing
into a restricted cabin bag.
Particularly relevant for travellers using airlines such as
Ryanair and Wizz Air, where baggage dimensions and
additional luggage fees can significantly change the final cost of a
cheap flight.
Compress your clothing and make better use of the space available
inside your luggage.
Arrive with mobile data ready and avoid searching for a local SIM
card or relying on airport Wi-Fi.
Use code XTRA10 for
10% off your first purchase.
Travelling for longer? Saily Ultra includes
30 GB of high-speed data plus unlimited reduced-speed data
,
together with additional travel benefits.
Pre-book your airport transfer before travelling.
Particularly useful for
late-night arrivals, families and travellers with luggage
,
or when arriving somewhere unfamiliar and you would rather have a
driver waiting than search for transport after landing.
Use promo code TPO5 for
5% off your booking.
Valid until 31 December 2026.
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