For onward domestic journeys, first check which Shanghai airport your domestic flight departs from (SHA - Shanghai Hongqiao, PVG - Shanghai Pudong). For Pudong domestic departures, follow signs on level three. For transfer from Pudong to Hongqiao, please go to the transfer counter, pick up a ticket at the transfer desk and proceed to the free transfer bus.  Minimum connection time between the two airports is three hours - if you have less than this, you should take a taxi which will be quicker (cost approx £12).

Shanghai Pudong Airport is a modern and efficient hub, an ideal place to transit to your onward journey into China, or onwards to South-East Asia or Australia. Please visit the Pudong International Airport website, where you will find details of facilities such as an hourly hotel, shops, transport etc.

Overnight Stopover due to non-connecting flights
Due to scheduling difficulties, some of our flights have an unavoidable overnight stopover before connecting with an onward flight (typically on return from Australia to London). Provided your travel agent notifies us of the booking and the need for a stopover at least 7 days before your departure date from UK, we will provide you with one night's hotel accommodation (currently provided at the Donghu Lingang Hotel for Business and First class passengers and  Peach Blossom Castle for economy class passengers), transfers to the hotel, and breakfast. On Check-in at Heathrow, you will be issued with a transit hotel voucher. Please produce this when you reach the transit counter at Shanghai. China Eastern reserve the right to change hotels due to seasonable demands.

In fact, some passengers may find this an ideal way to break-up an otherwise long and tiring flight.

We have been notified that UK passport holders are allowed 24 hour visa-free transit stops in Shanghai (48 hour visa-free transits allowed for some nationalities including most EU countries and Australia).  For longer stays it will be necessary to apply for a Chinese Visa. Please be aware that if you have arranged a stopover longer than 24 hours in Shanghai on your return, you must stop Shanghai immigration from stamping your Visa on the outbound when you have a short stop in Shanghai. Otherwise when you re-enter Shanghai on the return and want to stopover, the visa will have been used already.