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Everything you should know

Direct flights
You can fly direct with China Eastern and Juneyao Airlines. Average duration is 10h 23m
FAQs
FAQs
Top airlines
Most flights • 44 per week
Best reviews • 7.6 score
Airline reviews
+1
Airline reviews
+1
When to book
in advance
Our data shows that travellers who book at least 13 weeks in advance save around 23% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 20% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
+1
Good to know
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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights to Shanghai

 
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent return flight deals to Shanghai

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 Sydney Airport- London Canonbury
12680 kmmulti-stop
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 London Canonbury- Sydney Airport
12680 kmmulti-stop
Multiple Airlines
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 Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine)- London Canonbury
12920 kmmulti-stop
Multiple Airlines Logo
 London Canonbury- Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine)
12920 kmmulti-stop
Multiple Airlines
Booking Insights

Price, demand, and travel trends for flights to Shanghai

Use KAYAK data on prices, travel dates, airlines, and seasonal trends to compare options and book flights with more confidence.

What is the cheapest day to fly to Shanghai?

Monday is the cheapest day to fly to Shanghai at $1,045 return on average over the past 12 months on KAYAK. Sunday is the most expensive at $1,109.

What is the cheapest month to fly to Shanghai?

•March is the cheapest month to fly to Shanghai with an average price of $821 return.
•December ($1,538) and July ($1,266) are the most expensive.
•Based on KAYAK data over the past 12 months.

What is the cheapest time of day to fly to Shanghai?

Night flights to Shanghai are the cheapest at $997 return on average. Afternoon flights are the most expensive at $1,136.

When are flights to Shanghai the cheapest?

Flights to Shanghai are cheapest 13 weeks before departure. Booking in this window typically costs about 23% less than the average last-minute fare (within 2 weeks of the flight), based on KAYAK data.

Key details for flights to Shanghai

Low season

July
Beat the crowds with an average 35% drop in traveller numbers.
The most popular month to fly with an average 29% increase in traveller numbers.

When to book flights to Shanghai

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel to Shanghai based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated return price

Your questions about flights to Shanghai, answered

Find helpful route details based on KAYAK data, including flight times, airports, airlines, and booking questions.

  • How do I know if a flight to Shanghai is a good deal?

    A good deal on a flight to Shanghai is around $764 return. This fare is in the lowest 25% of return flight prices searched on KAYAK, averaged across the cities most often searched as origins by KAYAK users.

  • Which airports serve Shanghai?

    Flights to Shanghai arrive at: Shanghai Pu Dong (PVG) and Shanghai Hongqiao Intl (SHA).

  • How expensive are last-minute flights to Shanghai?

    Last-minute fares to Shanghai (booked within two weeks of departure) are typically 18% higher than the average return fare of $1,024.

  • What is the difference between the most popular and the most frequent airline at Shanghai?

    China Eastern operates the most flights from Australia to Shanghai at 44 per week, and for this route China Eastern is also the airline most often selected by KAYAK users searching for flights from Australia to Shanghai. The two are sometimes different because flight volume reflects an airline's schedule, while popularity reflects traveller choice.

  • Which airlines should I consider for flights to Shanghai?

  • Which airports serve Shanghai and the surrounding area?

    Flights to Shanghai can arrive at several major airports serving the metro area, including Shanghai Pu Dong (PVG) and Shanghai Hongqiao Intl (SHA).

  • Which public transport services are available from Shanghai Pudong International Airport?

    You can take the metro, the Maglev or the bus from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to get into the city centre. If using the metro, take line 2 to Guanglan Road station, where you can transfer to another train that will take you to the city centre. Maglev is the high-speed train that will take you to Longyang Road station; you then need to change to another service towards the city centre. Several bus lines leave from outside both terminals, including a late-night bus and a shuttle bus that goes direct to the city centre.

  • How can I get from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport to the city centre using public transport?

    From Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport you can take metro lines 2 or 10, both of which will take you straight to the city centre. Metro trains run between 6am and 10pm. There are several bus lines leaving from outside both terminals, including a night bus and a late-night line, with prices from 2 YUAN (about $0.4) to 30 YUAN (about $6).

  • Are there any on-site airport hotels at Shanghai Pudong International Airport?

    T2 Max VIP Hourly Lounge is a hotel located inside Terminal 2, offering rooms for rent at an hourly rate. Dazhong Airport Hotel Shanghai is located between Terminals 1 and 2, a five-minute walk from the airport. Ramada Pudong Airport Shanghai, Shanghai Airlines Travel Hotel and The QUBE Pudong Hotel are all within five to fifteen minutes of the airport, and they all offer shuttle bus transfers.

  • Which hotels are available in the vicinity of Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport?

    Boyue Shanghai Hongqiao Airport Hotel is located in Terminal 2 of the airport. The Shanghai International Airport Hotel is a five-minute walk from the airport, near to Terminal 1; it offers day rooms from 6am to 4pm and has an airport shuttle service available. The Argyle International Airport Hotel is also a five-minute walk from Terminal 1, and offers a free shuttle every hour to Terminal 2.

Your guide to booking Shanghai flights

From booking to airport arrival, find tips to help you plan your flight with more confidence.
  • For the best chance at a low fare to Shanghai, book around 13 weeks before departure. Based on KAYAK data from the last 12 months, fares are historically about 23% lower during this window than last-minute fares.
  • For flights to Shanghai, a good return fare is around $764. If you find a fare below that, you're getting a strong deal.
  • If your travel dates are flexible, consider flying to Shanghai in March. Return fares historically average $821, making March the cheapest month to travel based on KAYAK data from the last 12 months.
  • Before you book:

    • Check the route's typical price range so you can spot a deal.
    • Confirm baggage fees and seat selection costs on budget carriers.
    • Verify whether you need any travel documents beyond an ID.
    • Pick a departure airport, since your nearest may not be the cheapest origin.
  • Shift your departure to evening to save up to $139 on a return flight. Evening flights to Shanghai average $997 compared to $1,136 for midday flights.
  • Bag allowances vary by airline, fare type, cabin class, and route. On flights to Shanghai, some airlines may include bags at no extra cost. For example, China Eastern includes a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class, Juneyao Airlines includes a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class, and Qantas Airways includes a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class. Always check the fare details before booking, since bag policies can change by ticket type.
  • Once you arrive in Shanghai, a few great places to start are People's Square, Shanghai Disneyland, and Jing An Park. These are popular with first-time visitors and can give you a good feel for the area.
  • You can find direct flights to Shanghai from Sydney with Chinese Eastern, which land at either Shanghai Pudong International Airport or Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. The latter is closer to the city centre – about 15km away, while Shanghai Pudong International Airport is about 45km away. Both are modern, well-connected international airports.
  • Luggage storage is available at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport in the departures area near Gate 5. The rates for storing hand luggage vary depending on the size of the item and the number of hours you chose to store it for.
  • If you are traveling with kids, you will find a Children’s Park in Shanghai Pudong International Airport. It is located in Terminal 2 near International Boarding Gate 81 and is open from 9am to 8pm. In Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport you will find a nursery in Terminal 1, next to the post office in Departures B.
  • If you have some time after your flight to Shanghai Pudong International Airport, head to the art gallery in Domestic Departures in Terminal 1, or to the Maritime Museum that is also located in Terminal 1. You will also find the Museum of Pudong Airport in Terminal 2 near Boarding Gate D90, which holds Chinese culture exhibitions. Children can learn more about Chinese culture in Han Culture Park, which is near the museum in Terminal 2.
  • Taxis from both Shanghai airports have fixed rates if the distance travelled is under 3km; and metered rates for distances above this that depend on the time of day and total distance travelled. A trip from Shanghai Pudong International Airport to the city centre should cost around 180 YUAN (about $36) during the day and around 230 YUAN (about $46) at night.

Reviews of the top 4 airlines flying to Shanghai

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with to Shanghai? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.2
Singapore AirlinesOverall score based on 1627 reviews
8.6Crew
7.8Food
8.0Comfort
8.1Entertainment
8.3Boarding
Airline reviews

I had the worst experience of my life in travel. Due to circumstances beyond my control (catastrophic traffic accidents on the highway between Gold Coast and Brisbane) I missed my flight for the first time ever. Because I booked through Kayak Singapore Airlines were not interested in helping me. They told me to contact the agent that I booked through. I was extremely stressed as I had connecting flights in Europe. First Kayak told me that the next available flights were in four days time. Then they told me that they could do it but at a cost of $2600 AUD. When I agreed he told me that he was having trouble getting it through Singapore’s system and he would contact me further once it had been done. When I had not heard from him after several hours, I phoned Kayak again, spoke to a different person who said he could do it for $8200. I declined and told him to cancel the booking. The worst part of this experience was that I had booked 5 flights altogether with Singapore including Premium Economy on two legs and Singapore cancelled all my flights including the return legs leaving me with having to completely reschedule my entire trip. Kayak refunded me $2000 from $5200, obviously leaving me out of pocket. This has left me feeling that I will never deal with Kayak or Singapore Airlines again.

2.0 MediocreJanine, July 2026
Read more Singapore Airlines reviews

I had the worst experience of my life in travel. Due to circumstances beyond my control (catastrophic traffic accidents on the highway between Gold Coast and Brisbane) I missed my flight for the first time ever. Because I booked through Kayak Singapore Airlines were not interested in helping me. They told me to contact the agent that I booked through. I was extremely stressed as I had connecting flights in Europe. First Kayak told me that the next available flights were in four days time. Then they told me that they could do it but at a cost of $2600 AUD. When I agreed he told me that he was having trouble getting it through Singapore’s system and he would contact me further once it had been done. When I had not heard from him after several hours, I phoned Kayak again, spoke to a different person who said he could do it for $8200. I declined and told him to cancel the booking. The worst part of this experience was that I had booked 5 flights altogether with Singapore including Premium Economy on two legs and Singapore cancelled all my flights including the return legs leaving me with having to completely reschedule my entire trip. Kayak refunded me $2000 from $5200, obviously leaving me out of pocket. This has left me feeling that I will never deal with Kayak or Singapore Airlines again.

Crew were so busy Anna so awesome. I was in a seat that got my food nearly last but the crew were Just awesome.

Lounge a access was excellent as was the attentiveness and service from the crew as always. The food and drink supplied were of good quality. The entertainment system had a good selection and I liked the mapping system supplied. However the screen wild have been bigger and the operation a little smoother to navigate. The seats were barely comfortable, but adequate.

Headwind delayed our flight which wasn’t the airlines fault

Horrendous. We upgraded and they took the money but cancelled one of our tickets. The recline action didn’t work on the seats for the flight from Singapore to London, pre booked meals but they seemed to have disappeared as well.. Phone customer service was horrendous. Took 5 phone calls and no fix. Craig at the airport was the only one who seemed to be able to get the ticket back.

Food could have been better. Too many passengers getting up and down all the time.

Delayed 1hour due to storm still didn't get window seat for third flight despite paying £240 extra to book them

It was an average flight. I would have expected more from this airline. Food, seats, service, etc was just average. I just give them some extra points for offering free WiFi on board with just a Krisflyer account.

Check in was easy through self-check-in kiosks just like domestic flights. Staff onboard were fantastic. Some "book the cook" good options weren't great, others really good. Entertainment options a bit limited to what I've experienced on Qantas. Overall a good flight though, especially for the price.

Could not really fault anything. We had a really short time between flights (about 45 mins), and had to get across the other side of the terminal. But we made it and crew were helpful. Food was good and service for the kids was great.

Check in was awful.., Desks gone….it was a cheap chaotic environment not the usual seated staff member not there….instead a staff little platform…(staff were good) the whole thing reeked of cheap penny pinching- underwhelmed

Everything was good; they still provided a sandwich snack. Good crew

The legroom in economy on an A321 is wholly inadequate for a 6’3” man. Deeply dissatisfied.

I do not think there was much that could have been done to make it better. The delayed flight was due to bad weather. The turbulent patches were very unavoidable. Am simply thankful that there were no sudden and / or sharp drops during the flight. I do extend my compliments to captain Marcus I believe was his name and the rest of the crew. They all did an excellent job. My only question is whether I get a refund since the seats I had chosen and paid for were reassigned.

I love the comfortable business class seats. The service was excellent. Staff was friendly.

If I had blood clots, that window seat would've killed me for certain.

The employees are very nice and good. The delay due to the aircraft is not a good thing. Planning for such problems should be an easy task.

The crew were fine. I didn’t enjoy the food at all. I found it unappetising and really had trouble eating it. The comfort level was fine and our return flight is with Cathay Pacific but honestly I probably wouldn’t fly Cathay Pacific again.

We requested special assistance and Cathay Pacific provided it in Sydney, but we were completely forgotten about in Hong Kong - when we really needed the help to catch our connecting flight. Really disappointing service.

The staff were excellent considering it was a jam packed flight. We had to wait nearly an hour for our baggage to appear on the carousel. That was a real shame.

Excellent service from the staff always!!!! Very professional staff! Thanks for the hot tea that I needed throughout the flight I had a problem with my entertainment screen, the movie kept restarting. Overall, a great flight and I would fly China Southern again ! Great Job 👏

We were taking the flight MU 8649 from Shanghai to Osaka and the original boarding gate was 20 and we didn’t receive any notification or broadcast about gate changes, and by the time we missed the original boarding time we check thr electric board and realized the gate was changed to 208 Also the flight was delayed by almost an hour and the crew member didn’t provide any explanation, after we finally boarded the aircraft was very hot, the crew member told me the air conditioning was not working and tried to calm passages down by offering iced water, all of us sat in the aircraft for another 40 mins before it finally took off

Seats not comfortable. We had requested vegan meal and it wasn’t given.

I was denied boarding at the Brisbane airport and it seems like I won’t get any refunds from the airline

Wow very impressed by the quality and attentiveness of service of China Southern. Lived the blankets! Will definitely fly with them again. Despite language barriers, a few attendants know enough English to understand our rudimentary Mandarin and respond to basic questions. Although they don’t explain the beverage and meal service on the website or ticketing documents, they offered regular beverage cart and snacks during the beginning hours and end hours of the long, transoceanic flight. A full meal at the beginning and end of the flight as well, and a midflight small sandwich (dinner roll sized) but we weren’t hungry and didn’t try that one. The expectation is that every sleeps during the middle of the flight. We were on a “redeye” departure from LAX with a morning arrival in China, so I don’t know if this service pattern is the same for other flights. The domestic flight we took from Guangzhou to Harbin offered conventional refreshments and meals like a US flight service. Note that they didn’t offer diet sodas. If you like to stay hydrated, I recommend bringing plenty of your own. It is served in small cups like any other drink. You can ask for a bottle but they’re tiny - about 6 ounces.

China Southern was not the problem. I booked my flight through Kayak and also received a booking reference and alert details regarding departure time and gate numbers… however Kayak NEVER actually booked my flight! We were stranded at the airport without a flight for a long awaited holiday!

Terrible boarding experience,,food is very poor that I I . Never going book this airline again.

The crew were kind, patient and responsive. The service was excellent, even though we travelled the cheapest economy class. We arrived at our destination 40 min early, which for a 15+ hour flight is a great bonus. The boarding seemed a bit "loose", but got us boarded on time, and the plane was off exactly @ 0:30 hrs.

The airport didn‘t give me the ticket. I called customer service to ask for a refund but they kept giving me a perfunctory response and refused to refund me.

Food was terrible. Fish was equal to a sausage and scrumbled eggs were terribly green with a quite weird fllavour. Everybody with me hated all options. The best food was the bread with butter.

Basic long haul decent price but U pay for what you get. Over 5hrs of transit and terminal was pretty bare with nothing much to do except the lounge

Business Class window seat on my Shanghai to Venice route was broken and could not be converted into a bed which has to switch to a narrow aisle seat instead

It was just fine. The sirlines did live up fully to my expectation.

While boarding at PVG, there was a ticket checking by the gate, then there was another ticket checking right at the bottom of the escalator, which created quite a dangerous congestion. Don't understand why the duplication?

I was traveling alone with an infant, so the crew was incredibly helpful. Both the international and subsequent domestic flights were impeccable.

The flight was delayed by 2 hours, although to their credit they delayed my connecting flight so people could reach it. Also their site is a nightmare to navigate on a phone. Everything else was good.

China Eastern as a member of Sky Alliance airlines should have the same standards overall of their partners, Besides the seats comforts everything else is bellow the standard for a business class travelers.

2 parts to the journey. First leg covered in a newer plane with decent staff + POOR FOOD QUALITY but the second half didn’t leave a positive impression at all as the plane itself was an older built and the crew didn’t serve properly. Language is an issue with China Eastern flights as always, but unmotivated crew just makes it even bad.

Small plane with only two lavatories at the back. You must have a good plan to use it before or after the meal, if you make a bad decision, you will end up with standing in front of the toilet for a while till the food carts empty. The good thing is even there’s a slightly delayed, the plane is still arriving on time which is superb!!

Price is the main attraction. Staff is OK but difficult to communicate with them due to general lack of English. Food is truly abysmal, the main courses (4) were barely edible. The choices for breakfast served at 5:30 am prior to landing at Gatwick airport were Spaghetti Bolognese or seafood fried rice. Choices offered for all 4 mains were either something rice or noodles. Shanghai airport layover is much too long in a very poorly serviced airport. We were unable to use WiFi; private lounges required cash only payment with no ATM or cash exchange open.

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