Our Review of Shanghai Pudong Airport

Our Review of Shanghai Pudong Airport

At Plan Your Trips, we have analyzed hundreds of airports around the world, gaining a clear understanding of what users expect when visiting an airport. With this know-how, we have created this guide, placing passengers at the forefront of everything, aiming to simplify and enhance the airport experience.

In this guide, our goal is to present information in a manner that is both quick and reliable. Recognizing that passengers often have limited time and can be in a hurry, we strive to ensure that they do not waste time unnecessarily.

Another key focus of our guide is to highlight the strengths of the airport and also the weaknesses, and in some cases, offer recommendations to travelers. In alignment with this approach, we provide users with aggregated information on delays and on-time performance, analyzing both airlines and individual flights.

Pros and Cons of Shanghai Pudong Airport

PROs

Location: With its accessible location about 30 km from the city’s center, Shanghai Pudong Airport serves as a convenient entry point for international visitors. The Maglev train, metro, buses, and taxis all connect the airport effectively, providing convenient transportation alternatives for travelers.

Hub: Shanghai Pudong International Airport is hub for Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and Spring Airlines, and a focus city for Hainan Airlines.

Modern and Contemporary Facilities: PVG has a wide choice of contemporary amenities, including as pleasant lounges, a large duty-free retail area, and several food alternatives. The roomy layout and Satellite Terminal aid in controlling passenger flow and enhancing the entire travel experience.

Cargo Flights Hub: PVG is also an important cargo airport, being a hub for China Cargo Airlines, China Southern Cargo, DHL Aviation, FedEx Express, UPS Airlines, Suparna Airlines.

Efficient Transport Links: PVG is home to the famous Maglev train, which provides a quick and distinctive travel experience by taking passengers to downtown Shanghai in under 8 minutes. Furthermore, PVG is directly connected to the city’s metro system via Metro Line 2, guaranteeing reasonably priced access.

 

CONS

Crowded and Long Lines: Even with its state-of-the-art amenities, PVG occasionally gets too congested, especially during the busiest travel times. Long lines are typical for security checks, immigration, and check-in procedures, which can make passenger experiences stressful.

Traffic Congestion: Due to traffic, getting to PVG by road might be challenging, particularly on weekends or during rush hours. The journey to and from the airport, which generally takes 30 to 60 minutes, might stretch greatly during peak traffic periods, causing delays for travelers dependent on taxis, private automobiles, or buses.

Long Immigration Queues: Prolonged lines at immigration checks have been a continuing issue at PVG, particularly during rush hour. Clearing immigration can take more than an hour, which can be frustrating and cause delays for those who have connected flights.

Complicated Navigation: Even though PVG is a large, contemporary airport, first-time visitors may find its layout to be particularly confusing. Despite signs being available in English, can occasionally be confusing, and moving around the airport might take a while due to its vast size.

Mini-Guide of the Airport (2' Guide)

Terminals: PVG has two main terminals; Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, along with two satellite terminals; Satellite Terminal (S1 and S2). It’s important to know which terminal your flight departs from, as moving between the terminals requires a shuttle bus, which can add time to your journey. Plan for terminal changes, especially during tight connections.

Transport to and from Shanghai: Several modes of transportation, including as the Maglev train, Metro Line 2, airport buses, taxis, and private transfer services, connect Shanghai Pudong Airport to the city. The quickest option is the Maglev, which takes eight minutes to get to downtown. However, due to the limited availability of public transportation at night, taxis and transfer services can be more practical.

Check-in Areas:

Check-in areas in PVG are well-marked:

• Terminal 1: The terminal 1 check-in counters C,G,H and J are located on level 2; and check-in counters from A to M are located on level 3.
• Terminal 2: The terminal 2 check-in counters are located within level-2

Satellite Terminals: Shanghai Pudong Airport has two satellite terminals, said to be the largest satellite terminal building in the world, Satellite Terminals S1 and S2, also known as Satellite Hall. Both satellite terminals are connected to Terminals 1 and 2, where passengers should do the check-in, and have 83 jet bridges and 90 boarding gates altogether.

Shops and Dining Options: There are several eateries and duty-free shops available at both terminals. Numerous stores and dining establishments can also be found in the recently built Satellite Terminal. However, there might not be as many food alternatives in other places, such non-Schengen locations.

Family-Friendly Services: PVG has amenities for families, such as kid-friendly play areas, nurseries, and kid-sized chairs in public spaces. These services make it more pleasant to travel with little children.

Airport Lounges: PVG has various lounges placed throughout the terminals, allowing travelers access to food, refreshments, and a quiet spot to unwind. Access to many lounges can be purchased, and luxury travelers are catered to by airline-specific lounges such as those operated by China Eastern.

Additional Tips:

Arrive Early: Because of the possibility of lengthy immigration lines, arrive at the airport at least three hours before your international flight.

Use a Translation App: Use a translation app to facilitate communication, as not all staff speak English fluently.

How we calculate On Time Performance

On various pages of our website, you will encounter a metric widely utilized in aviation and other forms of transportation known as OTP (On Time Performance). We believe that providing this metric assists passengers in planning their trips and exploring alternatives before purchasing their flight tickets.

We calculate the On Time Performance for all flights and airlines, when we have enough data to do so. In certain instances, it may not be feasible to accurately compute the On-Time Performance for a specific flight or airline due to inadequate or non-representative data, which could result in misleading conclusions.

Our calculation of On Time Performance and delay information solely relies on arrival times. This approach is chosen over calculating departure delays, as we consider arrival punctuality to be of primary concern to passengers.

The On Time Performance displayed on our website is calculated as follows:

• On Time: Flights that arrive within 15 minutes of their scheduled arrival time, or earlier. In the absence of data for a specific flight, we assume the flight arrives on time, to avoid penalizing airlines for data unavailability.
• Moderate Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 15 to 30 minutes.
• Significant Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay of 30 to 60 minutes.
• Major Delay: Flights that arrive with a delay exceeding 60 minutes.
• Average Delay: The average delay is calculated by considering flights that arrive early as having a delay of 0 minutes. Early arrivals do not contribute to reducing the average delay calculation

Some Stats

Airlines with more flight operations (last 3 months)

Airlines with best on-time performance at Shanghai Pudong Airport (last 3 months)

Routes with more flights from Shanghai Pudong Airport (last month)