Best Ways To Book China Southern Business Class With Points [Step-by-Step]

China Southern, based in Guangzhou, is one of the world’s largest airlines and is China’s largest airline by passengers carried. Notably, this is China’s only airline flying the A380 superjumbo aircraft!

Internationally, China Southern is known as one of China’s “Big 3” airlines, along with Air China and China Eastern Airlines.

The major differentiator that China Southern is known for is that it connects long-haul destinations with cities in Southern China (hence the name), like Guangzhou (CAN) and Shenzhen (SZX).

In this guide, we’ll explore all of the best ways to book China Southern’s business class product with points!

A Look Inside China Southern Business Class

Let’s get all lofty expectations out of the way. China Southern business class isn’t going to deliver a superb experience.

In fact, it’s not on our list of best international business class airlines (that’s reserved for world-famous carriers like Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines).

China Southern has a unique fleet of long-haul aircraft, ranging from the famous A380 to 787 Dreamliners, A350s, A330s, and 777-300ER planes.

Of all the widebody aircraft, all of them provide the same business class product except for the A330, the new 787-9, and the new A350-900. These are generally flown on regional routes anyway, so the likelihood of encountering an A330 on a U.S.-China flight is slim.

Hot Tip: China Southern uses sleek Thompson Vantage XL seats for its new 787-9 aircraft, which are usually flown to Canada. It also uses Recaro’s PL3530 business class seat for its new A350-900 aircraft.

China Southern’s long-haul business class seats are arranged in a 1-2-1 setup with direct aisle access and lie-flat capabilities.

Specifically, these are staggered, forward-facing seats with a side table at each seat.

On each side of the aircraft, the seats alternate between window and aisle seats, and in the middle, the pairs of seats alternate between honeymoon seats and non-honeymoon seats.

As we alluded to earlier, your biggest reason for flying China Southern business class should probably be to fly on a nonstop flight where China Southern is the only option.

From the U.S., this includes nonstop services to cities like Guangzhou, Shenzhen, and Wuhan (pre-pandemic).

Even though the service and soft product are lacking, you’ll still have access to greater checked baggage allowance, business class check-in lines, lounge access, Eastern food options, priority boarding, and a lie-flat bed.

Let’s take a look at the high-level strategy for flying China Southern business class using points.

How To Fly China Southern Business Class Using Points

China Southern has a large network of flights to 216 destinations around the world with a fleet of 635 aircraft (including cargo planes). However, its business class product, at least in a post-pandemic era, is exceedingly difficult to book using points because the travel restrictions to/from China are strict, and it’s unclear when China will reopen to travelers.

In the past, though, China Southern was easy to book for 4 or more passengers in business class, and even first class!

China Southern levies a fuel surcharge of around $100 in business class for U.S.-China flights, bringing its total taxes and fees to around $130 per person, give or take.

Here’s a list of some of its popular nonstop flights:

As you can see, most of China Southern’s long-haul flights focus on the U.S., Canada, European gateways, and the South Pacific.

We’ll focus mostly on the nonstop flights listed above in our booking guide, so let’s get started!

American Airlines AAdvantage

American Airlines’ frequent flyer program, AAdvantage, has partnered with China Southern since 2019, paving the way for U.S. travelers to redeem a mainstream currency for China Southern flights.

The miles you redeem are generally referred to as American Airlines miles, and AAdvantage offers good redemption rates, as well as one of the only ways to book China Southern’s first class with points.

China Southern isn’t a part of the Oneworld alliance, which means it maintains a partnership on an individual basis.

Because China falls under the Asia Region 2 classification, AAdvantage’s award chart is as follows:

Route	Cabin Class	American Airlines Miles Cost (One-Way)	Taxes and Fees
U.S. – China	Economy	37,500 miles	~$130
Business	70,000 miles	~$130
First	110,000 miles	~$130
Europe – China	Economy	35,000 miles	~$270 to $560
Business	75,000 miles	~$270 to $560
First	90,000 miles	~$270 to $560
South Pacific – China	Economy	30,000 miles	~$35 to $90
Business	40,000 miles	~$35 to $90
First	50,000 miles	~$35 to $90
Japan/South Korea – China	Economy	20,000 miles	~$28 to $60
Business	30,000 miles	~$28 to $60
First	40,000 miles	~$28 to $60

As you can see, the mileage price you will redeem is dependent on what route you’re flying.

Taxes and fees are generally higher on European flights, especially if you’re originating in London.

Other than that, though, the AAdvantage booking process is pretty straightforward. You can hold awards for up to 5 days, but you must call American Airlines to book, as its online search engine can’t perform searches on China Southern.

Follow these steps to book your China Southern business class ticket using American Airlines miles:

1. Use ExpertFlyer to perform a China Southern business class award search.
2. Upon finding award space, write down all of the flight details.
3. Call American Airlines AAdvantage at 800-882-8880.
4. Complete the prompts to book award travel, provide your travel information, and you’ll be connected to a live representative.
5. Once connected, inform the representative that you want to book a China Southern business class ticket using AAdvantage miles.
6. Complete the booking over the phone, redeem your American Airlines miles, and pay for taxes and fees using a credit card.
   • If you’re looking to hold an award, inform the agent, and you’ll be able to hold an award for up to 5 days. Remember that you’ll need to call back to confirm your ticket.

Earning American Airlines AAdvantage Miles

American Airlines is a transfer partner with Marriott Bonvoy.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers at a 3:1 ratio to American Airlines and transfers take around 2 business days.

In addition, you can earn American Airlines miles by using any of the co-branded credit cards issued by Citi and Barclays.

Air France/KLM Flying Blue

Flying Blue is the name of the frequent flyer program shared by the Air France-KLM Group, which owns airlines like Air France and KLM.

Flying Blue’s loyalty program is easily accessible to most U.S.-based travelers, thanks to transfer partnerships. And for the most part, redeeming miles for China Southern business class flights come at a reasonable price.

In general, you’ll find flat redemption rates for Flying Blue’s partners (in contrast to variable award pricing for Air France or KLM flights). That means greater transparency and consistent award prices. One caveat, though, is that Flying Blue has blackout dates for China Southern flights.

Here’s how much you can expect to pay for one-way flights in China Southern business class:

As you can see, it’s generally going to be more expensive to book flights using Flying Blue miles compared to AAdvantage miles. That being said, you can book your flights completely online!

Here’s how:

• Visit Air France’s website.
• Log into your Flying Blue account.
• On the homepage, click Book with Miles.
• Choose your trip type (Round trip or One-way).
• Fill in the search fields, and click Search flights.
• Look for a China Southern-operated flight that works for you.
• Complete the reservation, use your Flying Blue miles, and use a credit card for taxes and fees.

Earning Air France/KLM Flying Blue Miles

Flying Blue is partnered with a variety of programs since it is an American Express transfer partner, Brex transfer partner, Capital One transfer partner, Chase transfer partner, Citi transfer partner, and a Marriott transfer partner.

All of the above, except Marriott Bonvoy, transfer at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly. Marriott Bonvoy transfers to Flying Blue at a 3:1 ratio in around days with a transfer bonus of 5,000 Flying Blue miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points in a single transaction.

Additionally, Air France/KLM Flying Blue has partnered with Bank of America to issue a co-branded credit card that earns Flying Blue miles directly.

As you can see, this makes Flying Blue miles very easy to earn!

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Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles is yet another familiar loyalty program to U.S. travelers, thanks to its association with Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines.

Although its miles have become less and less valuable over time, it still can get you some solid value!

Unfortunately, Delta SkyMiles doesn’t publish an award chart for partner flights, and since China Southern’s business class availability has been adversely affected by China’s travel restrictions, it’s hard to tell how much award tickets will cost.

That said, here are some best estimates based on flights to/from China:

There’s also a close-in award surcharge that can nearly double your mileage cost — avoid booking flights less than 21 days in advance if you can!

Delta SkyMiles allows bookings to be 100% online, so follow these steps to get started:

1. Visit Delta’s website.
2. On the top banner, fill out the search box.
3. Check off the box that says Shop with Miles.
4. Click Advanced search, then Delta One under the Best Fares For dropdown box.
5. Redeem your SkyMiles, fill in the travelers’ details, and provide a credit card for taxes and fees.

Earning Delta SkyMiles

Delta SkyMiles is an Amex airline partner and a Marriott airline partner.

You can transfer Amex points to Delta at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.

You can transfer Marriott Bonvoy points to Delta at a 3:1 ratio and transfers take around 1 business day.

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Korean Air SKYPASS

Korean Air SKYPASS is an example of a valuable frequent flyer program with hard-to-earn miles and restrictive redemption rules.

But if you can muddle your way through the quirks of this program, you can get some fantastic deals on round-trip award flights.

Practically speaking, this method is for advanced travelers because you have to find round-trip award availability on China Southern before even thinking about booking — one-way flights are flat-out not allowed.

Here’s Korean Air SKYPASS’s award chart for China Southern flights:

Note that Korean Air SKYPASS passes on all fuel surcharges regardless of the airline, so you’ll need to account for that.

Also, if you’re booking award travel for anybody else besides yourself, you can only do so for 5 immediate family members. Intermediate family members include your spouse, children, parents, siblings, parents-in-law, children-in-law, grandparents, or grandchildren.

Lastly, Korean Air enforces blackout dates for business class awards as follows:

Ready to book your flight? Follow these steps:

1. Find award availability on ExpertFlyer or the Air France website.
2. Write down the flight details of your desired itinerary.
3. Call Korean Air SKYPASS at 800-438-5000 and explain that you would like to book an award flight on China Southern, which is a non-SkyTeam partner.
4. Feed the agent the information from step 2.
5. Confirm the ticket by redeeming SKYPASS miles and paying for taxes and fees using a credit card.

Earning Korean Air SKYPASS Miles

Korean Air SKYPASS has 1 transfer partner in Marriott Bonvoy.

Marriott Bonvoy transfers to SKYPASS at a 3:1 ratio. Transfers take around 3 business days most of the time but can sometimes take up to 3 weeks in rare instances.

Also, U.S. Bank issues co-branded Korean Air SKYPASS credit cards that allow you to earn miles directly.

Other Options for Booking China Southern

Although it’s certainly possible to book China Southern flights using other partner currencies like Aeroflot Bonus miles, China Southern Sky Pearl Club miles, or Middle Eastern Airlines Cedar Miles, the process for booking may be onerous.

Additionally, some other partners might not have ways to easily earn miles, which is another reason why you should stick to the frequent flyer programs above.

Bottom Line: The best way to book China Southern business class is by redeeming American Airlines AAdvantage miles, followed by Korean Air SKYPASS miles. However, Air France/KLM Flying Blue and Delta SkyMiles have more transfer partnerships, and their miles are therefore easier to earn. 

Great China Southern Business Class Redemptions

There are plenty of routes and flights you can book on China Southern business class with points.

What we discussed above were the best frequent flyer programs to stick to when booking these flights.

That being said, let’s take a look at how much each frequent flyer program charges for a specific, round-trip award flight:

Based on this chart, American Airlines AAdvantage has the best redemption prices for the most part, except for Europe-China flights where Korean Air SKYPASS has the edge.

However, both American Airlines and Korean Air have a singular transfer partner in Marriott Bonvoy.

Overall, Flying Blue probably has the best redemption prices from a program with a 1:1 transfer partnership and the most transfer partners overall.

Delta SkyMiles, on the other hand, has an assortment of co-branded credit cards issued by American Express that can help you earn more miles beyond transfer partnerships.

Delta SkyMiles is also the only frequent flyer program that doesn’t pass on fuel surcharges (except for flights originating in Europe).

That being said, here are the stopover policies by frequent flyer program:

• American AAdvantage, Air France/KLM Flying Blue, and Delta SkyMiles do not permit any stopovers
• Korean SKYPASS allows 1 stopover per round-trip award ticket

Let’s now compile some of the best redemptions you can make in China Southern business class:

• Amsterdam (AMS) – Guangzhou (CAN) round-trip in China Southern business class for 115,000 Korean Air miles + ~$600 in taxes and fees
• Auckland (AKL) – Guangzhou (CAN) one-way in China Southern business class for 40,000 American Airlines miles + ~$35 in taxes and fees
• London (LHR) – Guangzhou (CAN) round-trip in China Southern business class for 115,000 Korean Air miles + ~$900 in taxes and fees
• Los Angeles (LAX) – Guangzhou (CAN) one-way in China Southern business class for 70,000 American Airlines miles + ~$130 in taxes and fees
• Melbourne (MEL) – Guangzhou (CAN) one-way in China Southern business class for 40,000 American Airlines miles + ~$35 in taxes and fees
• Paris (CDG) – Guangzhou (CAN) round-trip in China Southern business class for 115,000 Korean Air miles + ~$900 in taxes and fees
• Sydney (SYD) – Guangzhou (CAN) one-way in China Southern business class for 40,000 American Airlines miles + ~$35 in taxes and fees
• Tokyo (NRT) – Guangzhou (CAN) one-way in China Southern business class for 40,000 Delta SkyMiles + ~$6 in taxes and fees
• Toronto (YYZ) – Guangzhou (CAN) one-way in China Southern business class for 115,000 Flying Blue miles + ~$260 in taxes and fees
• Vancouver (YVR) – Guangzhou (CAN) one-way in China Southern business class for 115,000 Flying Blue miles + ~$260 in taxes and fees

How To Earn Enough Miles for China Southern Business Class

China Southern business class is, undoubtedly, a niche award booking; sure, there are a few ways you can redeem points for this flight, but it’s not exactly an aspirational redemption by any stretch of the imagination.

If you do find yourself needing to book China Southern business class, rest assured that you can access these flights as long as you have a transferable currency.

Korean Air and American Airlines both boast the best award pricing, but they’re also the hardest to earn of the 4 programs we highlighted.

For the vast majority of us, the 2 most practical programs to use will be Air France/KLM Flying Blue and Delta SkyMiles. The former offers the most transfer partnerships, while the latter has a strong U.S. customer base and a familiar frequent flyer program.

There are a few other ways to book this flight, such as using China Southern’s own Sky Pearl miles and using Middle Eastern Airlines’ Cedar Miles, but these are very complicated programs to follow.

Luckily, you can simplify your life by using transferable points:

• Amex Membership Rewards transfers to Air France/KLM Flying Blue, and Delta SkyMiles at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
• Bilt Rewards transfer to Air France/KLM Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
• Brex Rewards transfers to Air France/KLM Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
• Capital One Miles transfers to Air France/KLM Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
• Chase Ultimate Rewards transfers to Air France/KLM Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
• Citi ThankYou Rewards transfers to Air France/KLM Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.
• Marriott Bonvoy transfers to American Airlines AAdvantage in 2 business days, Air France/KLM Flying Blue in 3 business days, Delta SkyMiles in 1 business day, and Korean Air SKYPASS in 3 business days at a 3:1 ratio. Marriott points also transfer directly to China Southern. Some of of these programs also get a bonus of 5,000 miles when you transfer 60,000 Marriott Bonvoy points.
• Wells Fargo Rewards transfer to Air France/KLM Flying Blue at a 1:1 ratio almost instantly.

Lastly, Flying Blue is most likely to receive a transfer bonus of anywhere from 15% to 30%. Historically, these bonuses have been offered most often by Amex Membership Rewards and Citi ThankYou Rewards.

When Should You Search for Award Space

Currently, it’s very, very difficult to find business class award space on China Southern. In fact, finding any sort of business class award space on flights to China has been nearly impossible, thanks to the unwieldy travel restrictions imposed by the Chinese government on inbound flights.

However, historically, China Southern has offered generous award space for both business and first class travelers, often more than 4 seats per flight! This historical trend was true of China Southern’s long-haul flights, so it generally doesn’t matter which exact route you were flying.

It remains to be seen whether China Southern will start releasing more award availability once China eases up on its travel restrictions and starts reopening. When that day comes, though, we recommend doing your search on ExpertFlyer, Flying Blue, or Delta SkyMiles.

What Makes China Southern a Great Business Class Redemption

China Southern is Asia’s largest airline and one of the world’s largest overall.

Its long-haul business class product is very consistent, and you’ll usually encounter the same product regardless of which plane you’re sitting in (except for A330 aircraft).

Either way, you will have forward-facing, staggered business class seats that recline fully flat, have direct aisle access, and are arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration.

And if you are flying aboard a plane equipped with Thompson Vantage XL or Recaro PL3530 seats, you’ll have a more private, high-tech seat!

Now, let’s take a look at why China Southern business class might be a great redemption for you.

Convenient Schedules Nonstop to Guangzhou

China is a big place. Traditionally, it has operated hub-and-spoke routes and a vast majority of flights would arrive in Beijing or Shanghai.

Since more airlines have started emerging, though, and people’s time has increasingly become more valuable, the appeal of convenient point-to-point routes has increased.

That’s why China Southern boasts the best connectivity to Guangzhou, which is located in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong.

So if you’re looking to fly nonstop to Guangzhou, it simply doesn’t get more convenient than China Southern!

Fly an A380 to China

This is somewhat of an AvGeek reason to fly China Southern business class, but if you really love the idea of flying on a double-decker A380 (before they all go extinct), then China Southern is basically your only option.

In the past, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Etihad have all offered A380 services to China, but these flights originate in the Middle East.

China Southern’s A380 routes depart from major international gateways in the U.S. like Los Angeles (LAX) and New York (JFK), which is much more convenient for U.S. flyers.

Final Thoughts

China Southern is continuing to establish itself as a worthwhile airline, especially in business class. Give it a few more years, and its products will likely be among the world’s best!

This former SkyTeam airline has nonstop flights between Guangzhou and various countries around the world, making it a superb option if you’re interested in convenient schedules to southern China.

Our favorite ways to book China Southern business class is by redeeming American Airlines miles, Flying Blue miles, Delta SkyMiles, or Korean Air SKYPASS miles.

Hopefully, you’re now equipped with everything you need to know to book that China Southern business class ticket!