Business Class from Shanghai (PVG): deals, routes and trip guide
Photo by Chris Nagahama on Unsplash
Business class from Shanghai (PVG)
Shanghai Pudong is China Eastern's long-haul base and, on ACI's 2025 count, the world's fifth-busiest airport: two terminals, two satellite halls and widebody nonstops to Europe, North America, the Gulf and Australia. China's unilateral visa-free scheme covers around 50 countries for 30 days through 31 December 2026, transit included.
Everywhere you can fly from Shanghai
Premium carriers from Shanghai
Tap a carrier to search its business-class fares from Shanghai.
Where business class from Shanghai is cheapest
Ranked by how far the best fare we've found sits below each route's usual business-class price. Carriers are the ones actually operating each route. Tap any route to search live fares.
| Destination | Typical | Best seen | Saving | Cheapest | Flight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taipei PVG–TSA · ~1.3h | $5,692 | $1,053seen 13d ago | −70% | Oct |  Uni Airways |
| Kuala Lumpur PVG–KUL · ~5h · the deal | $4,666 | $878seen 29d ago | −70% | Sep |  Malaysia Airlines |
| Sydney PVG–SYD · ~9.9h · the deal | $12,415 | $2,344seen 17d ago | −70% | Oct |  Hainan |
| Melbourne PVG–MEL · ~10h | $11,918 | $2,446seen 10d ago | −70% | Oct | Hainan |
| Tokyo PVG–NRT · ~2.6h | $3,029 | $742seen 24d ago | −70% | Oct |  ANA |
| Taipei PVG–TPE · ~1.3h | $2,251 | $578seen 17d ago | −70% | Oct |  China Southern |
| Perth PVG–PER · ~8.9h | $8,389 | $2,234seen 8d ago | −70% | Oct |  Batik Air |
| Brisbane PVG–BNE · ~9.2h | $11,549 | $3,091seen 25d ago | −70% | Oct |  Philippine Airlines |
| Tokyo PVG–HND · ~2.6h | $2,728 | $739seen 27d ago | −70% | Sep | ANA |
| Auckland PVG–AKL · ~11.7h | $6,200 | $2,897seen 5w ago | −53% | Sep |  China Eastern |
| Fukuoka PVG–FUK · ~1.5h | $2,825 | $1,397seen 28d ago | −51% | Sep |  Asiana Airlines |
Showing 11 of 206 destinations tracked from Shanghai. Rows marked live price show the current lowest business fare we found on that route (searched weekly), not a tracked deal.
About Shanghai
China Eastern anchors Pudong, flying nonstop to Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth, plus a seasonal Adelaide A350-900 service that launched on 21 June 2026. Its A350 business cabin is a 1-2-1 suite layout with closing doors and fully flat beds, with a larger Business Class Plus row up front. Juneyao Air flies its 787-9 to Sydney and Melbourne.
Pudong runs two main terminals with matching satellite halls. T1 pairs with satellite S1 and handles China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines and SkyTeam carriers; T2 pairs with S2 and handles Air China, Juneyao, Star Alliance and oneworld. An automated people mover links each terminal to its satellite in two to three minutes. China Eastern's international business lounges are No. 36 in T1 and near gates G119 and G137 in S1.
Pudong gets used two ways: as a through-stop between continents on China Eastern, or as a stopover city in its own right. Arriving passengers land at the satellite hall but clear immigration back in the main terminal, so build in time for the people mover and the queue. Because the 30-day visa-free rule covers transit as well as tourism, an itinerary that connects through Shanghai can legally include several days in the city.
Shanghai makes sense when you want a mainland stopover without visa paperwork, or when you are continuing into China, Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu and Hong Kong are short hops from Pudong. China Eastern also added frequency to London Gatwick, Frankfurt and Copenhagen for 2026. The Airport Link Line, open since December 2024, joins Pudong and Hongqiao in about 40 minutes, so pairing an international arrival with a high-speed rail leg out of Hongqiao is realistic.
Best time to visit
Late March to May and September to November. June brings the plum rains, July–August is hot, humid and typhoon-prone, and winter is cold and damp.
Photo by Yiran Ding on Unsplash
| Shanghai at a glance | |
|---|---|
| Airport | PVG, Shanghai Pudong International Airport |
| Terminals | T1 and T2, each paired with a satellite hall (S1 and S2) reached by a 2–3 minute automated people mover. A Terminal 3 and Phase IV expansion is under construction on the south airfield. |
| Distance to city centre | About 30 km east of central Shanghai and the Bund |
| Airport rail link | Maglev to Longyang Road in about 8 minutes, around ¥50 one way; Metro Line 2 runs from the B1 station between T1 and T2 to People's Square in about 60 minutes for around ¥7 |
| Taxi / rideshare | Around ¥180–250 to the Bund, roughly 45–70 minutes depending on traffic |
| Timezone | China Standard Time, UTC+8 year-round. Mainland China runs on a single time zone and does not observe daylight saving |
| Currency | Chinese yuan renminbi, code CNY, symbol ¥. Alipay and WeChat Pay handle most day-to-day payments; cash is accepted everywhere but rarely used |
| Language | Mandarin Chinese, with Shanghainese widely spoken; English signage is good at the airport and metro, patchy elsewhere |
| Best months | Late March to May and September to November. June brings the plum rains, July–August is hot, humid and typhoon-prone, and winter is cold and damp |
| Entry requirements | Mainland China. Around 50 nationalities enter visa-free for up to 30 days for tourism, business, family visits, exchange or transit, under a policy published to run through 31 December 2026; everyone else applies in advance. A separate 240-hour transit exemption covers 65 ports including Pudong. Most arrivals must also file an online arrival card. Check yours at en.nia.gov.cn |
| Long-haul network | Around 250 destinations in all. Widebody nonstops out of Pudong reach the Gulf in 9–11h (Emirates, Qatar Airways, Etihad, China Eastern), Europe in 11–13h (China Eastern, Lufthansa, British Airways, Air China), North America in 11–15h (China Eastern, Delta, United) and Australia and New Zealand in 10–13h (China Eastern, Juneyao Air) |
| Power | 220V, 50Hz. Type A, Type C and Type I sockets are all in common use, so a universal adapter is the safe bet |
Facts drawn from China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and National Immigration Administration notices on visa-free entry and the online arrival card, Shanghai Airport Authority and Shanghai municipal government releases, Shanghai Metro and maglev operator information, Airports Council International traffic rankings, and published airline schedules.
Plan your trip to Shanghai
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Where to stay
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Things to do
Top-rated Shanghai experiences, or browse them all on Klook.
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Sort out the rest
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Worth knowing before you fly
Most foreign arrivals must now complete China's online arrival card. Fill it on the National Immigration Administration site before you fly, or scan the QR code at Pudong immigration on landing.
Common questions
Do I need a visa for Shanghai?
It depends on your nationality. Around 50 countries are covered by China's unilateral visa-free scheme (30 days per entry for tourism, business, family visits, exchange or transit), published to run through 31 December 2026. Everyone else applies for a visa before travelling, through a Chinese embassy or a visa application centre. A separate 240-hour transit exemption covers 65 ports including Pudong, but it requires an onward ticket to a third country. The National Immigration Administration keeps the list at en.nia.gov.cn
How do I get from Pudong airport into central Shanghai?
The maglev reaches Longyang Road in about eight minutes for around ¥50, where you change to Metro Line 2. Line 2 also runs the whole way from the airport station on level B1 between T1 and T2, taking roughly an hour to People's Square for about ¥7. A taxi to the Bund is around ¥180–250 and 45 to 70 minutes.
Can I use a foreign credit card in Shanghai?
Increasingly, yes. Alipay and WeChat Pay both accept foreign Visa and Mastercard, and that is how most of Shanghai actually pays for taxis, metro and food. Download the app and verify it with your passport before you travel, since verification can take a day or two. Physical cards work at major hotels and department stores; carry a few hundred yuan in cash as a fallback.
Will Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work in Shanghai?
Not on Chinese networks. Google services, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube are blocked on local SIMs and Wi-Fi. International roaming on a home-country plan, or a travel eSIM that routes data through a foreign network, generally keeps them working. VPN reliability inside China varies and should not be counted on. Apple services, Microsoft and standard email work normally.
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Photography via Unsplash: Chris Nagahama, Yiran Ding, Lijian (Richard) Zhu, krzhck, Capricorn song, Alicja Ziaj, Zhou Xian, Terry, Hailey Tong.