$451 Find Cheap Flights from Shanghai to San Francisco

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Shanghai to San Francisco departing on 5/29. 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, 0 bags

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

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Shanghai to San Francisco.
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Shanghai to San Francisco.
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$606
Typical prices: $769-$1,140
Multiple Airlines
Tue 3/17Tue 3/24
PVG - SFO • 2 stops
Cheapest non-stop
$1,144
Typical prices: $1,186-$1,399
United Airlines
Sun 3/15Thu 4/9
PVG - SFO • Non-stop
Our travelers' advice
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
China Eastern offers free baggage for long-haul flights.
Use BART at SFO for a cost-effective city trip.
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Expert advice
Top airlines
Vietnam Airlines
Cheapest • from $615 (round-trip)
Korean Air
Best reviews • 8.4 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Top routes
PVG
-
SFO
Cheapest
PVG
-
SFO
Most popular
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to book
5 weeks
in advance
Our data shows that travelers who book at least 5 weeks in advance save around 24% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
Start a new search
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We hope you love your trip to San Francisco!
Flight Deals
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Expert advice
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Shanghai to San Francisco

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Shanghai to San Francisco 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 Shanghai to San Francisco

Tue, Mar 17 - Tue, Mar 24
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:35 pm - 7:37 pm
PVG
-
SFO
17h 02m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:30 am - 4:00 pm
SFO
-
PVG
17h 30m
1 stop
$606Multiple Airlines
Wed, May 6 - Thu, May 14
Vietnam Airlines Logo
3:10 pm - 5:55 pm
PVG
-
SFO
41h 45m
1 stop
Vietnam Airlines Logo
10:50 pm - 12:40 pm
SFO
-
PVG
22h 50m
1 stop
$615Vietnam Airlines
Tue, Mar 17 - Tue, Mar 24
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:35 pm - 7:37 pm
PVG
-
SFO
17h 02m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
7:30 am - 10:00 pm
SFO
-
PVG
23h 30m
2 stops
$624Multiple Airlines
Mon, Jun 1 - Thu, Sep 17
Asiana Airlines Logo
8:35 am - 3:00 pm
PVG
-
SFO
21h 25m
1 stop
Asiana Airlines Logo
11:30 pm - 10:05 am
SFO
-
PVG
19h 35m
1 stop
$685Asiana Airlines
Wed, Mar 11 - Wed, Mar 18
Korean Air Logo
2:00 pm - 10:30 am
PVG
-
SFO
35h 30m
1 stop
Korean Air Logo
12:40 pm - 8:25 pm
SFO
-
PVG
16h 45m
1 stop
$690Korean Air
Wed, Jul 1 - Thu, Nov 5
Asiana Airlines Logo
8:35 am - 3:00 pm
PVG
-
SFO
21h 25m
1 stop
Asiana Airlines Logo
11:50 pm - 9:05 pm
SFO
-
PVG
29h 15m
1 stop
$692Asiana Airlines
Sun, May 10 - Tue, May 19
China Southern Logo
9:50 pm - 8:30 pm
SHA
-
SFO
37h 40m
2 stops
China Southern Logo
12:35 am - 10:20 am
SFO
-
SHA
18h 45m
1 stop
$719China Southern
Sun, May 17 - Tue, May 26
China Southern Logo
9:50 pm - 8:30 pm
SHA
-
SFO
37h 40m
2 stops
China Southern Logo
12:35 am - 10:20 am
SFO
-
SHA
18h 45m
1 stop
$741China Southern
Sat, Mar 7 - Fri, Mar 20
Cathay Pacific Logo
1:35 pm - 9:15 pm
SHA
-
SFO
23h 40m
1 stop
Cathay Pacific Logo
12:25 pm - 12:20 pm
SFO
-
SHA
32h 55m
1 stop
$766Cathay Pacific
Mon, Feb 23 - Mon, Mar 9
Cathay Pacific Logo
10:30 pm - 9:15 pm
SHA
-
SFO
38h 45m
1 stop
Cathay Pacific Logo
10:45 pm - 12:20 pm
SFO
-
SHA
22h 35m
1 stop
$774Cathay Pacific
Booking Insights

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

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

How much is a round-trip flight from Shanghai to San Francisco?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Shanghai to San Francisco departing in March.

What is the cheapest Shanghai to San Francisco flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest return flight from Shanghai to San Francisco costs $1,117 on the route between Shanghai Pu Dong Airport (PVG) and San Francisco (SFO). It is also the most popular route.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Shanghai to San Francisco, 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 Shanghai to San Francisco is February, where tickets cost $760 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are August and May, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,588 and $1,390 respectively.

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

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Shanghai to San Francisco, 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 Shanghai to San Francisco, you should book around 5 weeks before departure, which saves you about 24% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 18 weeks before departure.

Expert advice

Expert advice for your flight from Shanghai to San Francisco

 
AI-powered summary based on content written by travel experts. AI can make mistakes.
KAYAK teamed up with top travel experts to share the best tips for your journey.
Our travel experts
Stefanie Waldek

Stefanie Waldek

Expert on United Airlines

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.

Robert Schrader

Robert Schrader

Expert on China Eastern

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.

Daniel Scheffler

Daniel Scheffler

Expert on PVG

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.

Blane Bachelor

Blane Bachelor

Expert on SFO

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.

Good to know

Cheapest flight$451
Flight from Shanghai Hongqiao Intl to San Francisco

When to book flights from Shanghai to San Francisco

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Shanghai to San Francisco 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 Shanghai to San Francisco

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

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Shanghai to San Francisco was $451 for a one-way ticket and $606 for a round-trip.

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

    Yes, you’ll need a passport to travel to San Francisco from Shanghai.

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from Shanghai to San Francisco?

    When flying out of Shanghai you will be using one of these airports: Shanghai Pu Dong or Shanghai Hongqiao Intl. You will be landing at San Francisco.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    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 Shanghai to San Francisco.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to San Francisco from Shanghai 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 Shanghai to San Francisco?

    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 San Francisco with an airline and back to Shanghai with another airline.

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

    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 San Francisco from Shanghai up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Prefer to fly direct from Shanghai to San Francisco?

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

Direct departures

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

Direct returns

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

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

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Shanghai to San Francisco. 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 Shanghai to San Francisco? 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 1188 reviews
8.5Boarding
8.3Comfort
8.7Crew
8.1Food
8.2Entertainment
Airline reviews

Great service and comfort level. You can have more of vegetarian food options.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Nov 2025
ICN - SFO
Read more Korean Air reviews

Great service and comfort level. You can have more of vegetarian food options.

It’s great, long flight and arrive safe at destination

Everything was excellent as I expected. They also had a very caring crew. I had a headache and asked a Tylenol. The crew members kept checking with me how I was doing.

They were trying to get people to check luggage because the over head compartments were full but when we boarded there were lots of empty places that people could have put the luggage.

I can't believe they put my wife and I in the two middle seats! It is a very long flight and we had single flyers on either side of us blocking the way to the bathroom! There's no reason to not give one of us the isle seat so we could have managed bathroom needs and snacks with convenience. So I think very poorly of Korean air to put us both in the middle, I've never had that happen before and will probably avoid this airline in the future because of this. We tried to have them change it but they didn't so you pretty much lost a customer because of it.

One of the flight attendants stepped on my foot. I was on the aisle seat. A lady inside needed to get out. So Instood. Just then, a flight attentendant came wuicklybtheoughbthe aisle and stepprd on my sock covered toes. I let out a small sound. She stopped momentarily, but didn’t ask how I was just took off of the aisle. Never came back to see how I was. Fortunately, I was not really hurt other than a slight soreness in my toes. But I found that to be very negligent.

Korean Air is unlike any other major airline I have flown with. The grace and respect that the staff has from check in to de-boarding is unmatched. The flight attendants this time were especially wonderful to my five little children. They helped us rearrange to more suitable seating, brought our children’s meals, and patiently waited for them in the aisles when they had to use the bathroom. We felt so welcome and comfortable. I really appreciate the meal voucher when our flight was delayed. I am grateful to have had such an stress-free experience.

It's good overall. Flight was packed. Inflight entertainment choices were lacking.

They were very accommodating of a dietary issue. Nice movie & tv selections. Non-stop helped get through a very long (15 hr) flight

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.

2nd major delay due to maintenance issues. 1st delay missed my connecting flight.

It was great, but my bag was not loaded onto the connecting flight. I'm currently getting it resolved. If this isn't a problem, everything else was excellent.

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

The plane hasnt left im stuck in seatle still my flight has been grounded for almost 5 hours

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

Coming back to America was a peaceful flight everyone and everything was perfect

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.

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.

Staff always with a smile and very helpful with my mom who has mobility issues.

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

Flight delayed first from bad weather, then after boarding there was a problem with the plane. We had to get off and onto another plane...connections were missed and the trip took an additional 10 hours!! Pre-paid seatting was not honored due ro last minute carrier changes. Most of the trip was on Japan Airline.

Vegetarian options should be included with every meal. Even just simple steamed vegetables and whole grains would capture a wide audience.

Cramped, hot and the plane was grubby. Also the plane was an hour late and it took an hour to get my luggage once I got to LAX.

Extensive delays, poor organization to board people, as it felt like chaos to get inside of the plane. No lines, everyone gathering together like a mayhem, very confusing. Passengers out of hand and rude, which is not the airlines fault. However, there should be rules, e.g., not letting one passenger take 2+ spots in the overhead bin.

The bed was alright in business class. Food variety and quality were not up to the mark compared to the business class airfare.

Food , drink experience were great with Cathay. Crew service was excellent. Clean toilet and full snack bars always, pilot took of 26minutes later when boarding at Hong Kong with extra US customs check at gate 9 for US flight, but he managed to arrive only 2 minutes later from flight tracker. Smooth flight .

I wish there were more bathrooms available on these larger carriers.

one hour transit not good. cathay pacific is not helpful at all

My flight was suppose to be at 7:45pm to fly but it didnt fly out until 8:55 to dallas so then all of my other flights was late and delay ihad to wait at the airport for extra 14 hours to be able to get on a different plane

There were delays at boarding and landing. These events resulted in a tight transfer time in HK. Poor signage for transfers. Finally, lost luggage at final destination.

First class ticket gets you a choice of chips or nuts. . Just like economy Southwest. Also no screen in the seats. This is first class???!

Flight arrived 30 min early and bag was waiting at the baggage pickup. United Club HNL was one of the nicest in the system

Mean flight attendant. I wanted to reuse my plastic cup, but he (Matthew) said he can't for safety. I then said "I don't want water then" and he poured me a glass. I hope Matthew gets herpes and spends the rest of his life poor, lonely, and homeless.

Yet another flight in which beverage and snack service was skipped. Other that that, firmly mediocre. Landed early, to gate late due to congestion at the gates. Airline's fault or airports fault: unknown.

Both flights delayed. 2nd flight over 3 hours late mechanical issues

It was good but only meal served is very less. Meantime good to add rice and chicken in one of meal

Teeny tiny bathrooms, crew was not realistic about when we'd arrive.

On the way my flight entertainment wouldn’t work the screen went black and no matter how many times I tried to turn it on it wouldn’t. Food was surprisingly good but the tray tables were tiny so you couldn’t get anything else on the table. The seats hardly go back and are not overly comfortable. Wouldn’t fly United again.

Flight was late - I was downgraded from first class to coach

Movie selection is good. Crew did not understand mileage program and were no help. Sick later. Food?

The ticket was last minute buy so no concerns about the pricing this time, but the crew in general could have been more accommodating, helpful.

CTU-KMG-CNX with 1.5 hr connection at KMG. Doable but just barely bc immigration exit from China is at the last flight leg, here: KMG to CNX. We hauled out of the domestic terminal to reenter at the international departures (luggage checked thru to CNX thankfully). Immigration had only two agents, even though KMG gets a HUGE number of foreigners. It took forever for such a shot line. Then security also took a while, so I just just made the connection. Recommend if you exit China with domestic international transfer, plan for 2+ hrs to avoid a heart attack. Airline personnel don’t suffer if you miss the flight, you do. Plan accordingly.

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. A BIG ISSUE FOR NON-CHINESE PASSENGERS IS THE ABILITY TO CHECK IN ONLINE, by making so difficult or almost impossible there is no chance to get a seat assignment ahead of time then go to the airport and get what is left. THIS IS NOT a SKY TEAM modality.

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!!

The only personel that smiled at all were the flights attendants. Desk agents, lounge people none of them had a smile or even a hello. They were like dealing with dead fish. Again flight attendants were good. All other personnel looked like they didn’t want to be there or help.

good flight. food is only so so. I actually did not eat the snack. it does not look too good on the passenger next to me.

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.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Shanghai to San Francisco

Information on your arrival and departure airports