Boston to Shanghai Flights (BOS to PVG): Connections, Flight Time and Arriving at Pudong

There is no nonstop right now, so pick your connection

Boston to Shanghai Pudong had nonstop service before 2020, but as of recent schedules no airline flies it, and the US to China nonstop network remains far smaller than it was. Every itinerary from Boston connects once, and the choice of hub shapes the trip.

The Asian connections keep you on one long-haul airline. Cathay Pacific flies Boston to Hong Kong nonstop with frequent onward flights to Shanghai; Japan Airlines flies Boston to Tokyo Haneda and connects to Pudong; Korean Air flies Boston to Seoul Incheon and on to Shanghai. These are usually the most comfortable routings, with a single connection in an efficient airport.

The North American connections put the long leg on a China nonstop. Air Canada connects through Toronto, a short hop from Boston with a Shanghai nonstop. United connects through San Francisco, Delta through Seattle, Detroit or Los Angeles, and China Eastern, Shanghai's home carrier, flies to Pudong from New York JFK, Los Angeles and San Francisco, selling connections from Boston with Delta as its partner. Compare total time carefully, because the West Coast routings add a six-hour domestic leg before a 12 to 13 hour Pacific flight.

Total travel time and distance

The great-circle distance between BOS and PVG is roughly 7,300 miles, about 11,700 km. Via Hong Kong, Tokyo or Seoul, plan on 19 to 23 hours in total westbound, with the transpacific leg taking 14 to 16 hours and the onward flight to Shanghai two to four hours. Via Toronto the total is similar; via the West Coast it runs 20 to 24 hours.

Eastbound the Pacific leg is one to two hours shorter. You cross the International Date Line going west, so you leave Boston on one day and arrive in Shanghai in the evening or the following morning, two calendar days later by the local clock. Coming home you can land in Boston on the same calendar day you left.

Departing from Boston Logan

All international departures from Logan use Terminal E, including Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Air Canada. Delta uses Terminal A and United Terminal B, so a domestic first leg on those airlines departs from there. Terminals A, B and E are connected airside by walkways, but allow time; Logan's post-security connections are longer than they look on the map.

Terminal E security is slowest in the early afternoon when the Asian departures leave, so arrive three hours ahead if you are checking bags. The Silver Line bus from South Station reaches every terminal and is free from the airport inbound, and the Blue Line subway connects to the terminals by shuttle bus from Airport station. Logan Express buses serve Back Bay, Braintree, Framingham, Peabody and Woburn.

Arriving at Pudong and getting into Shanghai

Pudong has two main terminals plus satellite concourses linked by an underground people mover. Terminal 1 handles China Eastern and SkyTeam partners such as Delta and Korean Air; Terminal 2 handles Air Canada, United, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines and most Star Alliance and oneworld airlines. Immigration includes fingerprinting for foreign visitors on first arrival, and the queue can take 30 to 60 minutes when several long-hauls land together.

Pudong is about 30 km east of the city centre:

• Maglev train: to Longyang Road in about eight minutes, where you change to Metro Line 2 or a taxi for the centre. Fast, but the change with luggage costs some of the time saved.
• Metro Line 2: directly from the airport to Lujiazui, People's Square and beyond in 60 to 75 minutes, with a change of train partway along the line at some hours.
• Taxi: 45 to 70 minutes to the Bund or Jing'an depending on traffic, from the official ranks outside arrivals. Have your hotel's name in Chinese characters ready.
• Airport buses: several routes to hotel districts and railway stations in roughly an hour.

Shanghai also has Hongqiao Airport on the west side of the city, used mainly for domestic flights. If you are connecting onward within China, check which airport the flight leaves from; the two are 60 to 90 minutes apart by road or metro.

When to fly and when to book

Shanghai's best weather is in autumn, from late September to November, and spring, from late March to May. Summer is hot and humid with a rainy season in June and early July and occasional typhoons through September; winter is cold, damp and grey. Fares from Boston peak around Chinese New Year in late January or February, the May Day and National Day holiday weeks in early May and early October, and the US summer.

The Golden Week holidays are the periods to avoid for sightseeing as well as fares, because domestic travel fills trains, hotels and attractions. For those dates and for summer, book three to five months ahead; otherwise two to three months is usually enough.

Entry requirements and documents

US passport holders generally need a visa to enter mainland China for tourism, applied for in advance through a Chinese consulate or visa centre, with a passport valid for at least six months. China has widened its visa-free transit rules, so a stay of a few days while connecting to a third country may be possible without a visa, but the conditions are specific. Check the Chinese Embassy in the United States and the National Immigration Administration for the current rules before you book.

Expect to fill in an arrival card and have fingerprints taken on entry. Hotels register foreign guests with the police, which is routine. Set up a payment app that accepts foreign cards before you fly, because many shops and taxis in Shanghai take mobile payment rather than cards or cash.

Time zones and jet lag

Shanghai is 12 hours ahead of Boston during Eastern Daylight Time and 13 hours ahead in winter, because China does not change its clocks. That is a complete inversion of your day, and most travellers need four to six days to adjust in either direction. Westbound you usually land in the evening; eat a light meal, go to bed at local time and get morning daylight the next day.

The return lands in Boston in the afternoon or evening. Stay up until a normal bedtime and expect several early mornings.

What travellers on this route get wrong

The first mistake is assuming the pre-2020 Boston nonstop still runs. The second is arriving without a visa or without checking the transit rules, which is expensive to fix at the airport. The third is landing with only a credit card and finding that taxis and small shops want mobile payment. Each is avoidable with a few minutes of preparation before you leave Boston.