By Plane in Shanghai
Chinese carriers serving international destinations include Air China (www.airchina.com), China Eastern Airlines (www.flychinaeastern.com), China Southern Airlines (www.flychinasouthern.com), and Hainan Airlines (www.hnair.com). On direct nonstop flights, flying with one of the above is often cheaper than flying with your country's airline. Chinese airlines frequently "code share" with foreign airlines as well, which means you may end up flying on a Chinese airline jet even if you've purchased a foreign airline ticket, or vice versa. International flights arrive in Shanghai at Pudong International Airport (airport code: PVG).
From North America
Of the North American airlines, Air Canada (www.aircanada.ca), American Airlines (www.aa.com), Delta Airlines (www.delta.com), and United Airlines (www.ual.com) all fly to Shanghai.
Japan Airlines (www.jal.co.jp) and All Nippon Airways (www.ana.co.jp) fly to Shanghai via Tokyo. Korean Air (www.koreanair.com) and Asiana Airlines (us.flyasiana.com) fly via Seoul.
From the United Kingdom & Europe
Shanghai is connected to the U.K. and Europe by Virgin Atlantic (www.virgin-atlantic.com), British Airways (www.britishairways.com), Air France (www.airfrance.com), Austrian Airlines (www.austrianair.com), KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (www.klm.com), Lufthansa (www.lufthansa.com), Aeroflot (www.aeroflot.com), Finnair Airlines (www.finnair.com), Scandinavian Airlines (www.scandinavian.net), and Turkish Airlines (www.turkishair.com).
From Australasia
Qantas (www.qantas.com) flies nonstop to Shanghai from Sydney, while Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.com) flies nonstop from Auckland. Alternatively, it may be cheaper to fly one of the other Asian carriers via their home country, such as Singapore Airlines (www.singaporeair.com), Malaysian Airlines (www.malaysiaairlines.com.my), Garuda Indonesia (www.garuda-indonesia.com), Philippine Airlines (www.philippineairlines.com), or Thai Airways (www.thaiairways.com). Other carriers serving Asia Pacific include Dragonair (www.dragonair.com), which flies from Hong Kong to Shanghai and is partly owned by Cathay Pacific, Air Macau (www.airmacau.com.mo), Royal Brunei Airlines (www.bruneiair.com), Royal Nepal Airlines (www.royalnepal-airlines.com), and Emirates (www.emirates.com). Alternatively, those flying from Hong Kong may find it cheaper, though not necessarily more convenient, to take a ferry to either Shenzhen or Zhuhai in Guangdong Province and connect to Shanghai via a Chinese airline such as China Eastern or Hainan Airlines. The Chinese "no-frills" low-cost carrier China Spring Airlines (https://chinaspringtour.com) flies from various Chinese cities such as Zhuhai, Tianjin, Qingdao, and Guilin, to Shanghai.
Arriving at the Airport
Almost all the international carriers arrive in Shanghai at Pudong International Airport (Pudong Jichang) (tel. 021/96990; www.shanghaiairport.com), located about 45km (28 miles) east of downtown Shanghai. Transportation on the highway to hotels in Pudong and downtown Shanghai runs between 50 minutes and 1 1/2 hours depending on traffic. The high-tech airport, designed by French architect Paul Andreu, has two terminals, which have departure halls (international and domestic) on the upper level and arrivals on the lower level, and are connected by three indoor 500m-long (1,640-ft.) corridors and free shuttle buses on the third floor (outside doors 1 and 8 in Terminal 1, and doors 23 and 27 in Terminal 2) running at 10-minute intervals between 6am and midnight. At press time, most of the international airlines were using Terminal 2, as well as Shanghai Airlines, Air China, and China Southern for domestic flights. Note: To be sure, check with your airline which terminal you will be arriving at and departing from.
Arrival procedures are straightforward at both terminals. Depending on the severity of health issues like SARS, H1N1, or avian flu, visitors may be required to fill out a health declaration form, and/or be subjected to a health check (involving the reading of your temperature) as you approach immigration. Immigration forms are usually distributed in-flight but are also available just before you reach the immigration counters. Depending on your time of arrival, it should take 15 to 30 minutes to clear immigration. Have your passport and completed form(s) ready. Baggage claim is followed by Customs. Foreigners are no longer required to fill in Customs declaration forms and are seldom stopped.
There are ATMs just after immigration, and several other ATMs outside Customs in both terminals. Also here are hotel counters, bank counters for money exchange, and a Tourist Information Center (TIC) counter.
In 2010, Shanghai also built a brand-new Terminal 2 at its older airport, Hongqiao International Airport (Hongqiao Jichang) (tel. 021/96990; www.shanghaiairport.com), approximately 19km (12 miles) west of the city center at Shenda Yi Lu 1 in Minhang District. Terminal 2 caters largely to flights within China including the Shanghai-Beijing shuttles. At press time, the older Terminal 1 was reserved for the low-cost airline Spring Airlines, and a few Asiana, Korean Air, ANA, and JAL flights connecting to Gimpo Airport in Seoul, and Haneda Airport in Tokyo. Shuttle buses (outside Gate 6 on the Departure Level in Terminal 1, and Gate 1 on the Arrival Level of Terminal 2) connect the two terminals at 15-minute intervals between 6am and 11pm. Arrival procedures at Terminal 2 are fairly routine, and it usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes to retrieve your luggage. There are ATMs and some hotel counters here as well.
Getting into Town from the Airport
Taxis -- The legitimate taxis are lined up in a long queue just outside the arrival halls of both airports (outside Level 1 of Hongqiao Airport's Terminal 2). Never go with taxi touts who approach you in the arrival halls with "Take taxi?" which is about the extent of their English. At Pudong International Airport, taxis using the highways and the Nanpu and Lupu bridges charge ¥170 and up for the 1-hour (or longer) trip to hotels in downtown Shanghai, and only slightly less for the nearer hotels in Pudong. From Hongqiao Airport, taxis should charge from ¥40 to ¥80, depending on traffic and the location of your hotel, and take from 20 to 40 minutes to transport you. Taxis between the two airports will cost around ¥240 and take 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Most Shanghai taxi drivers are honest, but be sure the meter is on; if not, say, "Da biao!" If that doesn't work, select another taxi. All legitimate taxi meters are equipped to print out a receipt, which you can ask for by saying, "Fa piao." It's a good idea to always get a receipt, which will have the phone number of the taxi company and numerical identification of the driver, should you ever need to recover any lost items. Flag-fall for taxis is ¥12 for the first 3km (2 miles), then ¥2.40 for every subsequent kilometer (2/3 mile). For more tips on taking a taxi, see "Taxi Tips".
Hotel Shuttles -- A number of Shanghai's hotels maintain service counters situated along the walls in the arrival halls in both airports, though these primarily serve only visitors who have made transportation arrangements with the hotel prior to arrival.
Airport Buses -- The most economical transfer from Pudong International Airport is via the official Airport Bus (tel. 021/6834-6612). There are 10 Airport Bus Lines connecting the airport and other transportation stops. Airport Bus Line no. 1 goes from Pudong to Hongqiao Airport (every 15 min. 7am-11pm; ¥30); Airport Bus Line no. 2 (Jichang Erxian) goes from Pudong (every 15-20 min. 7:20am-11pm; ¥22) to the City Air-Terminal Building (Chengshi Hangzhan Lou) at Nanjing Xi Lu 1600 (just west of the Shanghai Center), with return buses departing for the airport every 15 to 20 minutes from 6am to 9pm; Airport Bus Line no. 5 goes from Pudong to the Shanghai Railway Station (Shanghai Huoche Zhan); and Airport Bus Line no. 7 connects to the Shanghai South Railway Station (Shanghai Nan Zhan). Prices range from ¥16 to ¥30. There are also direct buses to Suzhou and Hangzhou.
From Hongqiao Airport, several buses make the run into town. A shuttle, Minhang Zhuanxian (Airport Special Line), departs for the Chengshi Hangzhan Lou (City Air-Terminal Building) at Nanjing Xi Lu 1600 every 20 minutes from 6am to 8pm. Tickets cost ¥4. Airport Bus Line no. 1 (Jichang Yixian) connects Hongqiao (buses depart every 20 min. 6am-9pm; ¥30) with Pudong Airport (every 20 min. from 7:20am to last flight).
Subway -- Metro Line 2 now connects downtown Shanghai to Pudong Airport, though the journey will still take a good 45 to 50 minutes. For those with no luggage or light luggage who desire a slightly faster journey, there is Shanghai's highly touted magnetic levitation (Maglev) train. However, unless you're staying in the eastern reaches of Pudong, even the Maglev is not that much faster or more convenient than a taxi or airport bus in getting you to your destination. Covering some 30km (19 miles) in 8 minutes, this ultra-high-speed train (¥50 regular ticket, ¥80 same-day round-trip) connects Pudong International Airport to the Longyang Lu metro stop, where you transfer to the subway (Lines 2 and 7). Depending on your hotel's location, you may have to change subways again, and possibly even hail a taxi before you arrive at your hotel's door, all of which makes it inconvenient for travelers with heavy luggage. Maglev trains run every 20 minutes between 6:45am and 9:30pm daily. For information, call tel. 021/6255-6987.
In 2010, Metro Line 2 was extended all the way from the new Terminal 2 at Hongqiao Airport through downtown Shanghai to Pudong Airport. However, you're better off taking the airport shuttle bus than traveling by subway between the two airports (upwards of 90 min.).
To get into town from Terminal 2 of Hongqiao Airport, take either Metro Line 2 or Metro Line 10 (also stops at Terminal 1).
Mass Levitation -- Shanghai's much-hyped mass transit showpiece, the magnetic levitation (Maglev) train, started running in late 2003, with trains connecting the 30km (19 miles) between Pudong International Airport and Pudong's Longyang Lu Station in no more than 8 minutes. "While the wheel-track link -- which is run on mechanical technology -- works like a propeller-driven aircraft, the Maglev line -- motored by electrical technology -- is like a jet," crowed Xu Kuangdi, the former Shanghai mayor who got the project off the ground during his tenure. Traveling at up to 430kmph (267mph), Maglev (a Sino-German joint venture) has cost Shanghai upwards of ¥8.9 billion, making this the most expensive subway spur in the world. Unfortunately, Maglev in its current form is not very practical for travelers with heavy luggage , so the government has largely taken to promoting this more as a tourist attraction, Shanghai's latest must-ride (¥50 one-way; ¥80 same-day round-trip). Indeed, on any given day, you'll usually see more sightseeing tourists and students than airport-bound travelers. In 2008, the Chinese government's plans of building a Shanghai-Hangzhou Maglev line for the 2010 World Expo that would also connect Pudong International and Hongqiao airports met with resistance as Shanghai residents came out in force to protest the effects of potential magnetic radiation and noise pollution in their neighborhoods. At press time, the project had been shelved indefinitely.