$496 Find Cheap Flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Shanghai departing on 3/11. 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 Shanghai

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

Cheapest round-trip
$977
Overall average: $1,068
Air China
Tue 11/25Tue 12/2
IAD - SHA • 1 stop
Cheapest one-way
$471
Multiple Airlines
Wed 3/11
DCA - PVG • 2 stops
Top airlines
Air China
Cheapest • from $977 (round-trip)
ANA
Best reviews • 8.4 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai (WAS-SHA)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Shanghai

Tue, Nov 25 - Tue, Dec 2
Air China Logo
10:00 pm - 11:55 amIAD-SHA
24h 55m1 stop
Air China Logo
11:30 am - 6:30 pmSHA-IAD
20h 00m1 stop
$977Air China
Find Deal
Thu, Apr 30 - Fri, May 15
Korean Air Logo
1:15 pm - 12:25 pmIAD-PVG
35h 10m1 stop
Korean Air Logo
8:50 am - 11:15 amPVG-IAD
38h 25m1 stop
$993Korean Air
Find Deal
Tue, Dec 2 - Tue, Dec 9
ANA Logo
11:10 am - 12:25 pmIAD-SHA
36h 15m1 stop
ANA Logo
1:40 pm - 9:10 amSHA-IAD
32h 30m1 stop
$1,189ANA
Find Deal
Sun, Feb 15 - Mon, Feb 23
United Airlines Logo
6:30 am - 6:55 pmBWI-PVG
23h 25m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
8:55 pm - 6:34 amPVG-BWI
22h 39m1 stop
$1,202United Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Apr 15 - Mon, May 11
ANA Logo
3:30 pm - 12:35 amDCA-PVG
21h 05m2 stops
ANA Logo
1:35 am - 3:34 pmPVG-DCA
25h 59m2 stops
$1,203ANA
Find Deal
Tue, Dec 2 - Thu, Dec 11
Delta Logo
6:02 am - 3:20 pmDCA-PVG
20h 18m1 stop
Delta Logo
5:30 pm - 11:08 pmPVG-DCA
18h 38m1 stop
$1,206Delta
Find Deal
Fri, Feb 13 - Sun, Feb 22
Delta Logo
6:00 am - 6:00 pmBWI-PVG
23h 00m2 stops
Delta Logo
5:30 pm - 10:55 pmPVG-BWI
18h 25m1 stop
$1,206Delta
Find Deal
Sun, Jan 18 - Thu, Feb 19
American Airlines Logo
5:08 pm - 4:25 pmDCA-PVG
34h 17m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:10 pm - 11:00 pmPVG-DCA
17h 50m1 stop
$1,214American Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Nov 25 - Fri, Dec 12
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 6:55 pmBWI-PVG
23h 55m2 stops
United Airlines Logo
1:30 pm - 11:00 pmPVG-BWI
22h 30m2 stops
$1,218United Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Nov 25 - Fri, Dec 12
American Airlines Logo
6:02 am - 4:25 pmBWI-PVG
21h 23m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
6:25 pm - 2:24 pmPVG-BWI
32h 59m1 stop
$1,222American Airlines
Find Deal
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Washington, D.C. to Shanghai flights

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

How much is a round-trip flight from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai departing in November.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai?

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

For Washington, D.C. to Shanghai, Wednesday is the cheapest day to fly on average and Thursday is the most expensive. Flying from Shanghai back to Washington, D.C., the best deals are generally found on Thursday, with Saturday being the most expensive.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Shanghai is November, where tickets cost $1,100 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and June, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,681 and $1,556 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Shanghai, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 11 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Cheapest flight$510
Flight from Reagan Washington National Airport to Shanghai Pudong Airport

When to book flights from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Shanghai

  • Which other cities can I connect to from Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG)?

    Flights from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai will give you an opportunity to visit some of the cities in China comfortably while using Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) as your departure station. You can explore Hangzhou, Huangshan, Wuxi, and Nanjing.

  • Which airline among those flying from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai is more eco-friendly?

    Consider reserving your ticket with Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, and ANA if you want to fly in an eco-friendly aircraft. These airlines feature planes whose engines are fuel-filled and feature a program that deals with carbon emission reduction.

  • What are the common layover airports for flights from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai?

    Always expect to have several layovers on long flights, such as flights from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai. For instance, if flying with United Airlines and Eva Air, expect stops at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), and Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE). When using Qatar Airways, you’ll stop at Hamad International Airport (DOH), and Tokyo International Airport (HND) when flying with Emirates.

  • Which airline(s) among those flying from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai have the option to upgrade from economy to first class?

    If you book economy with Japan Airlines and Qatar Airways, you can select to upgrade to first class by paying a modest fee to your ticket. You can fly first class for less money if you take advantage of this opportunity than if you book directly in first class.

  • What is the cheapest flight from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai was $471 for a one-way ticket and $977 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between Washington, D.C. and Shanghai?

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

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai?

    Washington, D.C. is served by 2 major airports and there are 2 airports in Shanghai. You will leave Washington, D.C. from one of these airports: Washington, D.C. Reagan-National or Washington, D.C. Dulles Intl. You will be arriving in Shanghai at one of these airports: Shanghai Pu Dong or Shanghai Hongqiao Intl.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai?

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

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai?

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

  • What is the most popular layover when flying to Shanghai from Washington, D.C.?

    Tokyo is the most popular layover city among KAYAK users traveling from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. to Shanghai.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Shanghai from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai

  • Flights from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai typically leave from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) and arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG). To connect easily from the city center to DCA for a flight, consider taking the Metro system’s Blue and Yellow Lines, located centrally in the city.
  • Flying with kids on long flights such as flights from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai can be difficult and tiresome. To avoid this, consider reserving your ticket with Japan Airlines or Qatar Airways, which features onboard kids’ amenities such as video games, family movies, complimentary snacks, and bassinets.
  • If you have a person with limited mobility, or you are one of them, consider consulting with your airline during your ticket reservation on how to access some of the special services offered in the airport. DCA and PVG offer special services such as the wheelchair, accessible parking, and first boarding of the PRMs.
  • If you plan to fly with your four-legged companion on flights from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai, consider reserving your ticket with Japan Airlines or Korean Air, which features pet relief areas at the departure and arrival stations. However, your pet should not way more than 20 lbs if you plan to fly with it in a cabin.
  • Upon landing at Shanghai through Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) for a holiday vacation, consider using the onsite car rentals to visit some of the tourist sites – such as Shanghai Wild Animal Park and Waterfall Clock – located some miles from the airport. You’ll reserve your car model at the car counter located at Terminal 1 near the baggage claim area.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Washington, D.C. 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 Washington, D.C. 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
ANAOverall score based on 1003 reviews
8.2Comfort
8.7Crew
8.6Boarding
7.7Food
7.9Entertainment
Airline reviews

Flight was good and comfortable, even for long haul economy. No complaints.

10.0 ExcellentSamuel, Nov 2025ORD - HND
Read more ANA reviews

Flight was good and comfortable, even for long haul economy. No complaints.

Check in was fast, lounge was good. Special section for ANA passengers in the Plaza Premium lounge. Boarding was organized and quick. Crew was very nice. They ran out of the Japanese meal so they asked me to switch to the international meal. Beef was room temperature and not hot. It tasted ok. Japanese meal was served hot. Movies were not great. Chair was very old and recline was not good. TV monitor was very old and not HD. Plane layout in business was 2-2-2. Should switch to the 1-2-1 layout for more privacy. Overall flight was average to good. Service was good but hard product should be updated to compete against much nicer Taiwanese airlines.

Checking in via an alliance partner, even a foreign one should get TSA Precheck printed on your boarding pass. The paper copy issued by ANA didn’t show it. I couldn’t get my digital copy due to some technical issue arising because I checked in with ANA. The kiosks at SFO similarly threw an error. The only way I could have gotten a new copy of my boarding pass was from the UA counter and lines were nearly as long as TSA so I bit the bullet and went through the regular TSA line. If UA wants my business, they need to improve that process.

Suite lounge in Honolulu is very exclusive and boarding from the lounge into the plane is unique. First suites were huge and comfortable. Japanese meal is like a high end omakase meal. All the staff were very kind and provided sophisticated service. Fast Track upon landing was appreciated but not needed this time because immigration was so empty and easy.

I like the service very much. The food just okay but maybe different culture who like, who don't like.

Warm the bread. Movies: better choices to include Chinese movies options or some of the older winners of flim festival

Almost 6 hours of delay with over 12 gate changes. Flight was supposed to depart around 6 and instead depart after 12am. No accommodations were offered than some snacks closer to midnight when the crew was planning to throw away some snacks.

The crew was very nice and polite. They made sure everybody got their meal and drinks. Even the economy class had a very adequate leg room for someone that is over 6 foot tall.

Purchased WiFi was slow to non functional. Staff was not personable or friendly. Seats were cramped. Boarding took long but I expected that.

Luckily I just tried to sleep. But the entertainment system was awkward to operate. I hate all this stuff with apps and adding it to your phone and all. It is a nuisance. I would prefer a good magazine or newspaper in the pocket in front of me or available.

Flight delayed then cancelled. Misplaced luggage. Still do not have. Rented car 1100 mile drive. I had to buy some overnight Hotels clothes toiletries gas food at my expense. Still not home. Not sure where luggage is. Over 4 hours on hold to Felta

I truly love flying with Delta. They have always treated me with the upmost respect

Our flight attendant in FIRST CLASS was one of the worst I’ve ever had. She was not at all pleasant, nor particularly good at her service.

Everything went well and was good. Nothing exceptional, but no complaints either. Cheap seats are pretty comfortable.

Staff were friendly and happy. Delta could make sure passengers that don't have the app know of changes. Without Kayak I would not have known about the change of gate or the delay. Kayak was faster to notify me.

They ended up paying for the bag twice, but the counter wouldn't take my baggage receipt. Left it to me to resolve. Not sure how to resolve the issue.

The customer service before board was very rude and when I expressed my concerns about making the connecting flight she laughed and told me I bought the wrong ticket. I explained once it showed the flight was delayed it no longer let me change seats or anything. I was trying to upgrade to make sure I would get to the next gate on time.

Non stop on long haul is the way to go. Great experience

The aircraft interior is old and tired on this aircraft. The entertainment system never worked despite the crews attempt to reset the system.

The flight used a B767 with a very old interior from before 2014. The entertainment system did not work at all during the flight despite attempts to reset the system. It was like they flew this route just to be competitive.

7 hours delayed due to operational issues on United’s end. Basically laziness.

Short flight but an "eager to help" crew made the journey more enjoyable!

During booking, I kept trying submitting my payment from the Mexican website and it didn't work. After I had the idea to change it to the Canadian website, it worked but I had to be charged the equivalent of 50 CAD more. I received the clear instruction that I would only be able to check-in at the airport and that it was impossible to select a seat 24 hours before departure, that I had to pay 144 CAD to do so, although not only was I able to check-in 24 hours before departure, but I could have selected my seats for free then. All in all, I almost threw $200 out the window due to misleading information. Besides, the app kept crashing, the information to get to the gate on the app was inaccurate, my gate was switched and I was only informed once in the air (luckily I had noticed the departure pannel), I was not addressed in my language beforehand and even if I tried I was immediately answered in English (which meant the crew understood but didn't want to answer accordingly), there was only one snack & beverage service on my medium haul flight and no beverage service on my short haul flight. To be fair, the planes were comfortable, the crew apart from the language issue was helpful, dynamic and engaging, the plane was clean and the directions were clear and direct. United has a lot of potential to be one of my favourite airlines, but the devil is in the details and a lot of them missed the target.

Better WiFi. I cannot understand that in 2025, United is so behind on a technology that is now a necessity and still painfully unreliable, slow and keeps disconnecting.

Great service on board. Boarding a bit slow due to process. Food was pretty average.

Very small cramped plane for an international flight. Everything else was good, but it was maybe the smallest comfort-wise I've ever been on for longer than 3-4 hours and the trip was 7.5

Flight was delayed 3 hours. No food and drink vouchers was provided. They offered a mini pretzel bag and water .

Staff was rude. Didn’t give water for 2 hours. Worst service

Was on time until within 1 hour of flight-how does that happen? Staff very friendly.

I liked the choice of lemon ginger tea. I think stewardesses can be more considerate of older people needs.

this plane was really old, had exit row seats and tray was in arm of seat so super uncomfortable to use. another seat they could t even use the tray it was broke. seat i. front of me had duct tape on it cause seat was ripped open... this plane should either be updated or retired.

We were very rushed by a staff member at the gate when transferring from American Airlines to Fijian. Then the plane stayed put for ages anyhow! The plane was delayed and my bag sent to San Francisco instead of Fiji

Baggage handling poor. Second time this has happened. My bag went to San Francisco instead of Fiji. No apology. Luckily Nadi airport staff are fantastic. My bag arrived in Fiji the next day.

We loved the steward on the plane. He made the night enjoyable

I enjoyed the extra leg room compared to other airlines. The first stewards made my daughter’s birthday special by giving her an extra snack. Then the last one coming home from Chicago to Appleton made our night really enjoyable Thanks for making our trip enjoyable

Flight delay was communicated before leaving for airport which caused it to be a non-event. Great flight and crew!

The flight attendant, a black woman with curly hair who sat near Row 21, was wonderful and kind.

It took way too long to diagnose and solve the problem of a broken crew member cabin seat. Though compensation for the volunteer who left the flight was very kind.

We fly American Airlines quite a bit. And we always fly business class when traveling internationally. We were a bit disappointed with the comfort of this particular plane as well as the entertainment options.

The AA staff person who checked our bags was curt and almost rude. The FA also seemed unhappy doing her job. Overall it was like riding the school bus back in grade school.

Worst than I expected, crew was not attentive, meal was as disgusting , they didn’t even drink selections as they would to other passengers. I felt discriminated

cannot get seat information for LAX to IAH when check in in XI,AN

UA is ok. But check in was a very bad experience

I hate that you cannot check in online and when you are at the airport, there aren't any aisle seats left. Also, they could work a little on subtitles for their movies (not everyone is a native English speaker).

Nothing to complain of, the only reason I am not giving better marks is that I am used to flying with ANA and they are the top.

It's terrible that we can't do online check in because we didn't buy the tickets directly from Air china. It was not explained until I contacted Chatdeal and we could not sit together.

Communication between the captain/crew and the passengers needs to be improved.

Food and service are good. Bathroom was lack of lotions and cleaning. That should be improved.

Food & service very good next I will pick up again

Chinese flight attendants didn't speak english well. They didn't care enough to remember that I (east asian who isn't Chinese) wasn't Chinese and spoke English. Announcement in english on board was poor and I find it very difficult to understand what was announced. Also, a cabin bag allows only 5kg!

Everything you need to know for your flight from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai

Cabin class types available on flights from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai

Cabin classes available on flights from Washington, D.C. to Shanghai. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.