$369 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Shanghai

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San Francisco to Shanghai departing on 8/12. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
1 adult, Economy

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Shanghai

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Shanghai.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from San Francisco to Shanghai.
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Flights Deals

Cheap Flights from San Francisco to Shanghai (SFO-SHA)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Shanghai that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from San Francisco to Shanghai

Mon, Aug 25 - Thu, Aug 28
Cathay Pacific Logo
1:40 pm - 11:55 pmSFO-PVG
19h 15m1 stop
Cathay Pacific Logo
9:35 am - 11:30 amPVG-SFO
16h 55m1 stop
$691Cathay Pacific
Find Deal
Thu, Aug 21 - Wed, Sep 10
Cathay Pacific Logo
1:40 pm - 11:55 pmSFO-PVG
19h 15m1 stop
Cathay Pacific Logo
12:20 pm - 5:50 pmPVG-SFO
20h 30m1 stop
$693Cathay Pacific
Find Deal
Mon, Aug 25 - Wed, Sep 3
Cathay Pacific Logo
1:40 pm - 11:55 pmSFO-PVG
19h 15m1 stop
Cathay Pacific Logo
5:40 pm - 10:55 pmPVG-SFO
20h 15m1 stop
$695Cathay Pacific
Find Deal
Mon, Sep 1 - Thu, Sep 11
China Southern Logo
12:35 am - 4:10 pmSFO-PVG
24h 35m1 stop
China Southern Logo
6:25 pm - 8:30 pmPVG-SFO
17h 05m1 stop
$699China Southern
Find Deal
Tue, Aug 19 - Thu, Sep 18
China Southern Logo
12:35 am - 1:00 pmSFO-PVG
21h 25m1 stop
China Southern Logo
6:25 pm - 8:30 pmPVG-SFO
17h 05m1 stop
$700China Southern
Find Deal
Tue, Aug 19 - Thu, Sep 18
China Southern Logo
12:35 am - 10:20 amSFO-SHA
18h 45m1 stop
China Southern Logo
1:40 pm - 8:30 pmSHA-SFO
21h 50m2 stops
$702China Southern
Find Deal
Tue, Aug 19 - Tue, Sep 9
China Southern Logo
12:35 am - 4:30 pmSFO-PVG
24h 55m1 stop
China Southern Logo
5:50 pm - 8:40 pmPVG-SFO
17h 50m1 stop
$702China Southern
Find Deal
Wed, Sep 3 - Tue, Sep 16
Cathay Pacific Logo
1:40 pm - 11:55 pmSFO-PVG
19h 15m1 stop
Cathay Pacific Logo
5:40 pm - 10:40 pmPVG-SFO
20h 00m1 stop
$707Cathay Pacific
Find Deal
Mon, Nov 3 - Wed, Nov 12
Cathay Pacific Logo
11:25 am - 12:20 pmSFO-SHA
32h 55m1 stop
Cathay Pacific Logo
1:35 pm - 4:20 pmSHA-SFO
18h 45m1 stop
$708Cathay Pacific
Find Deal
Mon, Aug 25 - Mon, Sep 15
Cathay Pacific Logo
1:40 pm - 11:55 pmSFO-PVG
19h 15m1 stop
Cathay Pacific Logo
8:35 am - 5:50 pmPVG-SFO
24h 15m1 stop
$708Cathay Pacific
Find Deal
Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from San Francisco to Shanghai

 
Snippets provided in this section are AI-generated based on a summarization of KAYAK-commissioned articles. The articles are presented as-is, for general informational purposes only, and may not be up-to-date. The opinions contained in the articles are original to the author and reflect their authentic experience, which may vary significantly from the experience of others.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Airlines
United Airlines

United Polaris features lie-flat seats with aisle access for long-haul comfort.


United offers free meals in economy on long-haul international flights.

China Eastern

Consider extra legroom in Economy for added comfort on long-haul flights.


Business Class offers lie-flat seats in a 1-2-1 configuration for enhanced comfort.

Airports
SFO

Take advantage of curbside check-in at SFO for a smoother departure, especially useful for families. Remember to tip accordingly.

Read more about SFOby Blane Bachelor
PVG

Use the Maglev train for a quick 10-minute ride from PVG to downtown Shanghai. It's faster than taxis or buses.

Read more about PVGby Daniel Scheffler
Our travel experts
Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on United Airlines

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek is a freelance space, travel, and design writer based in Saratoga Springs, NY. Her words have appeared in Space.com, Travel + Leisure, Condé Nast Traveler, Architectural Digest, and House Beautiful, among other publications. An expert in aviation and expedition cruising, Stefanie is frequently up in the air or on the sea, likely en route to Antarctica or the Arctic.

Read more
Robert Schrader

Robert Schrader

Expert on China Eastern

Robert Schrader

Robert Schrader

One of the web's original travel bloggers, Robert launched his first site Leave Your Daily Hell in 2009. Since then, he's expanded into destination niche sites (one each for Japan, Thailand and Taiwan), in addition to having written for the inflight magazines of Singapore Airlines and Korean Air. Overall, he's visited nearly 100 countries, and flies business as often as possible.

Read more
Daniel Scheffler

Daniel Scheffler

Expert on PVG

Daniel Scheffler

Daniel Scheffler

Daniel Scheffler is a travel writer, podcaster, and producer. Born in Africa, bred in Europe and now living in America he has traveled to 140 countries (and all 50 U.S. states). Plus he has stayed at over 2500 hotels across the globe. His original shows Everywhere and Without Maps (available on Spotify) showcase his beliefs, travel is about humanity and sharing that beauty. And thus it reminds you that you shouldn’t believe everything you think.

Read more
Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor

Expert on SFO

Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor is a journalist and editor specializing in travel and aviation who writes regularly for top global outlets. Born and raised in Florida, Blane has worked and lived in four countries, including the Netherlands, where she’s currently based with her family. Her favorite way to get to know a new destination is by running or riding a bike around town – or hearing a spooky ghost story about local history. She will always choose the window seat.

Read more
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for San Francisco to Shanghai flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San Francisco to Shanghai to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest San Francisco to Shanghai flight route?

The cheapest price for flight routes found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Shanghai.

Our data shows that the cheapest route for a return flight from San Francisco to Shanghai cost $659 and was between San Francisco (SFO) and Shanghai Pu Dong Airport (PVG). On average, the best prices are found if you fly this route. The average price for a return flight for this route is $659.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from San Francisco to Shanghai?

The average price of all round-trip flights from San Francisco to Shanghai clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

If you are looking for a flight deal from San Francisco to Shanghai, look for departures on Thursdays and avoid leaving on a Saturday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from Shanghai, Wednesday is the cheapest day to fly and Saturday is the most expensive.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to Shanghai?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Shanghai, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from San Francisco to Shanghai is April, where tickets cost $991 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are June and December, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,563 and $1,521 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Francisco to Shanghai?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from San Francisco to Shanghai, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from San Francisco to Shanghai, you should book around 2 weeks before departure, which saves you about 16% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 2 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Cheapest flight$369
Flight from San Francisco to Shanghai Pudong Airport

When to book flights from San Francisco to Shanghai

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from San Francisco to Shanghai based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking flights from San Francisco to Shanghai

  • What is the cheapest flight from San Francisco to Shanghai?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from San Francisco to Shanghai was $369 for a one-way ticket and $691 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between San Francisco and Shanghai?

    Yes, you'll most likely have to show a valid passport before boarding the plane in San Francisco and on arrival in Shanghai.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from San Francisco to Shanghai?

    We unfortunately don’t have that data for this specific route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from San Francisco to Shanghai?

    oneworld, and SkyTeam are the airline alliances operating flights between San Francisco and Shanghai, with SkyTeam being the most commonly used for this route.

  • What is the most popular layover when flying to Shanghai from San Francisco?

    Seoul is the most popular layover city among KAYAK users traveling from San Francisco to Shanghai.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San Francisco to Shanghai?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from San Francisco to Shanghai.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from San Francisco to Shanghai?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Shanghai from San Francisco is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from San Francisco to Shanghai?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to Shanghai with an airline and back to San Francisco with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from San Francisco to Shanghai?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to Shanghai from San Francisco up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Prefer to fly direct from San Francisco to Shanghai?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from San Francisco to Shanghai.
Find which airlines fly direct from San Francisco Airport to Shanghai, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

San Francisco to Shanghai

Monday

China Eastern, United Airlines

China Eastern, United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

China Eastern, United Airlines

China Eastern, United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

China Eastern, United Airlines

China Eastern, United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Shanghai to San Francisco

Monday

China Eastern, United Airlines

China Eastern, United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

China Eastern, United Airlines

China Eastern, United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

China Eastern, United Airlines

China Eastern, United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from San Francisco to Shanghai

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San Francisco to Shanghai. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San Francisco 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.
8.4
Korean AirOverall score based on 1121 reviews
8.7Crew
8.1Food
8.5Boarding
8.2Comfort
8.2Entertainment
Airline reviews

Friendly flight attendants and gate agents. Very clean plane and food was good!

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jul 2025DFW - ICN
Read more Korean Air reviews

Friendly flight attendants and gate agents. Very clean plane and food was good!

This was an amazing flight. The crew was great. The service was great. The food provided was great.

I was unable to select decent seats, and so I was stuck in the middle seat because it was selected for me

There was a lot of partial tv shows but not enough to last the flight. The food was incredible! The crew were so helpful and patient. Lots more space than what I usually get on an international flight. Very comfortable!

Stingy on the drinks - 15 hour direct flight and could barely get attention for some water

Not many people, so you can lay down on two seats

The delay in Korea was a pain and set us back a day. I have to give big props to Korean Air for setting up a hotel with dinner and transportation to and from the hotel. I also needed assistance with a wheelchair and they did an outstanding job.

Great except for the delay in Korea. Korean Air did a great job setting up a hotel for the night. I also needed assistance with a wheelchair and they were outstanding.

The flight was on time and very quick, as expected, but the leg room isn't great in coach seats.

Just a typical domestic poor flight nothing more. There is no food choices in such a flight. Crew doesn't really care if you are on-board or not

The aircraft was massive (A-380) and became crowded with 400+ passengers on board.

My luggage didn’t arrive with my flight. Flight was delayed by nearly 2 hours while we sat on the plane and I almost missed my connecting flight and subsequently missed the last train from the airport so it took me another 2 hours to get to my destination after arriving, Crew skipped me several times when offering beverages, and I couldn’t get their attention at times because they wouldn’t even make eye contact with me. They didn’t give me a form for disembarking so I had to go to the back of the line after waiting an eternity for immigration. Paid for on flight wi- fi that didn’t work for most of the flight.

Love flying Asiana. Been using it for over a decade now.

I had a bad experience coming from America to Thailand. On my connecting flight my check in suitcase was not put on the departing aircraft, I received my suitcase 24 hours after arriving in Bangkok and when I open my luggage my hand swelled up. The next morning when I put on an outfit from my suitcase my face swelled up and became numb. My entire vacation was ruined it seems that some kind of chemical was sprayed into suitcase and ruined my clothes and got me sick. The staff at my hotel called the airline and spoke to someone and they told me to file a complaint and gave my a website to do so. I did not file a complaint I felt like it would have fell on death ears. I had to throw away my brand new vacation clothes and suitcase and I had the worst vacation ever due to this happening to me.

The staff was courteous and the flight was very smooth. It was so nice to see the captain greeting the passengers at the end of the flights.

The beefsteak on the lunch menu was excellent! I usually do not eat airplane food. I loved it.

Flight was too cold. I wore a regular cotton tee and it wasn’t enough. It was a night time flight so I would have thought a blanket would be provided to passengers. A 4 hour flight and no options for a meal? I flew Asiana the next day from Seoul to Manilla. Same duration, 4 hours. They give everyone a pillow and blanket and serve a meal. Why is United so cheap and holding back meals and amenities? Also, they promote too much gay stuff and DEI in their advertisements. Please be mindful of other beliefs and don’t shove your gay ideology down my throat.

It was amazing. I was not expecting the phenomenal customer service Asiana provides.

The seats felt very small. We were supplied with pillows and blankets, which was nice. Lots of noise from the bathroom, plus exterior noise. Made it hard to hear the entertainment system, even using my own noise-cancelling headphones. The food was really bad. I generally request a vegetarian meal and one was supplied, but the pasta was cold and hard and there was nothing pleasant about it. Two meals were served on this flight; one was a repeat of the meal I had had on the flight immediately preceding this one, which was bad enough I didn't even try it. Drinks were very limited. All I wanted was water, and on a 10.5 hour flight, I was given 3 cups of about 3 ounces each.

We took business class, It was comfortable and I was able to sleep.

The only problem I had was not being able to download my boarding passes prior to arriving at the airport. Everything else was perfect.

Better. I took an aisle seat this time. Although the overheard compartment above the seat ahead of me kept opening up during flight.

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

They ran out of food and were offering random food to passengers.

Short staffs, I ask stewardess to bring me cognac twice during dinner but they didn't bring it!

The food and service was great. You have to pay a lot for in flight Internet though which is lame.

I've stomach problems after 2 hours of flight, Iris, the flight purser not only did her best to make me feel comfortable, she went above and beyond providing pain relievers medicines and ointment. She look and found a doctor passenger on the flight to provide advise. She even report on ground staffs about my condition and provide wheelchair upon arrival. Kudos to her and Cathay Pacific!

Everything was fine and I have no complaints or things to note.

The economy seats are much indeed roomier. Meals needs improvement.

flight delayed 45 mins - missed connection - 1 hr layover became 8 hr layover waiting for next flight -

I learned that seating towards the end of plane that a line forms for the restroom and people use your chair as a hand railing, bumping your seat consistently. I was seated in the aisle. I think that next time if I am towards the back row I would want to sit in the middle or window seat.

The best airline I have ever travel , really good customer service, attention and service !!

Everything was great. Only thing that could’ve made it better was buy on board options for hot food, but the snacks were decent. The flight attendants were great. I had no complaints. I was able to make it to my destination safely

Horrific. They missed my connecting flight to San Diego. I didn’t get there until Monday at 9am when I had a mandatory court settlement conference scheduled at 6am since we had parties on the east coast. This caused many issues. All because United apparently forgot to hold the doors open until my flight landed that only had a 10 minute delay. This was the last flight to Southern California. So I couldn’t even rent a car to finish the trip. United cannot be trusted when traveling on specific days and times since weather didn’t have anything to do with the delays.

Very comfortable (upgraded to business class). The audio on my screen didn’t work, but I managed to play the audio through my phone while watching the screen.

Flight was late as pilot crew had to land at different airport in their previous flight. Passengers boarded and had to wait for pilots inside plane. Series of incomplete and unnecessary announcements by an annoying voice, rather than complete, informative announcements.

Breakfast was not loaded at SFO due to catering company change. Seems like a major airline at a major hub would have thought of something else or warned passengers to pick up food before boarding a 3 hour flight.

Boarding seemed to be organized bedlam. For what ever reason, preboarding took longer than 20 minutes. Made the plane 20 minutes late taking off. Luckily we arrived on time. Flight crew seemed very friendly. Only slight turbulence.

They hired a new catering company the same day of my flight. They botched the job by not delivering the right carts and after THREE HOURS waiting, the flight crew timed out (flight was 19 hours long and FAA rules state crew can’t work more than 14 hours long). So they CANCELED OUR FLIGHT!! Worst experience ever. Avoid UAL at all costs.

The personnel were professional and friendly. The Boeing 737 Max 9 is too claustrophobic and was very warm at both airport gates, and still warm in the air.

Food no variations only beef of chicken no veggie meals

Super surprised with the entire experience. Business class is incredible. Flight attendants around the world could learn customer service from these people. Simply fabulous experience all the way around.

Pillow and blanket are dirty. My son got multiple bites during the flight

Flight was on time. My group paid for seat’s so that us four can be seated next to each other. We all got separated. We all got middle seats, which made it more difficult to be able to get up and stretch or use the restroom. We tried talking to the employees at China Eastern and they were of no help. We will not be taking this flight or recommend this route to others in the future. Also I will be contacting customer service on how I can get our money back for paying for assigned seats.

China eastern was fantastic. I had read so many bad reviews that had made me nervous. However, I found that the flight attendant’s, and customer service check in etc. etc. was excellent. I had no problems. I would fly with them again!

Excellent! I had read some negative reviews but I found out that it was not all was not true! The staff was courteous and helpful. The flight take off and landing was nice & easy. The food was good! I asked for a second and I got it easily and without an attitude! All was wonderful!

Excellent experience however older aeroplanes used by China Eastern Airlines.

The crew were excellent, service amazing, blankets and pillow good, cabin temperature perfect, the flight on time, food was unusual selection however plentiful, price for tickets unbeatable through Kayak. Older aeroplanes used by China Eastern was the only down side.

Delay in off-boarding due to customs at SFO... pilot announcement should have come earlier so passengers don't clog aisles.

Better good than most, if not all European airlines. If you’re stuck in an economy seat anyways, China Eastern is a good choice because of shorter flight time, being able to overfly Russia

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