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Booking a Flight to Shanghai

Non-stop flights in 14-15 hours to Shanghai from New York City, Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles

Lufthansa Airbus A340There are several airlines that offer daily direct flights to the Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) from major US airports, for example:

• New York (JFK, EWR): Delta, China Eastern
• Detroit (DTW): Delta, China Eastern
• Chicago (ORD): United, US Airways, American Airlines, Air China
• San Francisco (SFO): United, US Airways, Air China
• Los Angeles (LAX): United, American Airlines, China Eastern

The prices from Chicago, Newark (EWR) and San Francisco are relatively less expensive ($1140-1190), while flights from New York and Detroit are more expensive ($1550-2394). An option for travelers in the Northwestern US is to use Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in Canada, for which the price is close to the best available in the US and travel time is a bit less (12 hours). There are also flights from Toronto, Canada (YYZ), but the price and travel time are similar to that for New York.

Swiss Airbus A340Flights from Europe

• London (LHR): Virgin Atlantic Airways, China Eastern, Air China
• Paris (CDG): Air France, China Eastern
• Frankfurt (FRA): Lufthansa, Air China, China Eastern
• Munich (MUC): Lufthansa
• Zürich (ZRH): Swiss International Airlines
• Helsinki (HEL): Finnair, Air China

Entertainment System Airbus A340Recommendations

In general, look for the shortest flight time with the fewest stopovers. It is best to choose modern aircraft such as the A340, which is equipped with the latest in-flight entertainment system. In this way, the films, music, and current flight information help the long flight times pass more easily.

Jet lag

It is best to schedule your flight so that you arrive in Shanghai Pudong in the morning, and have flexibility to ease into the first day. This will permit you to spend your first day in Shanghai in daylight up until 7 pm, even if you were unable to sleep on the plane. Nevertheless, you will find yourself fatigued in the early evenings of the first few days.