[SH Transit] New Routes and More Flights: Shanghai's Winter Travel Update

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Shanghai travelers have a new nonstop route to North Africa and more flights planned to destinations from Australia to northeast China as airlines switch to their winter-spring schedules.

The season began on October 25. Pudong and Hongqiao airports together have an average of 2,511 daily takeoffs and landings planned, up 3.8 percent from a year earlier, according to the Shanghai Airport Authority. Pudong accounts for 1,709 and Hongqiao 802.

Long-haul choices

Air Algerie launched Shanghai's first nonstop link to Algiers, the Algerian capital, on October 27.

The service operates three times a week, with flights scheduled to leave Pudong at 6am on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Another change comes later. China Eastern Airlines' Pudong-Auckland-Buenos Aires service is scheduled to increase from twice to four times a week from December 5.

The route to Argentina's capital, said to be one of the world's longest flights, includes a stop in Auckland, New Zealand.

China Eastern's seasonal plan also includes resuming Pudong-Adelaide services and adding flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane during part of the season.

Those additions offer more options for travel to Australia during its summer, but the airline's announcement does not give dates and frequencies for every increase.

For trips to Europe and North America, China Eastern plans more Pudong flights to Frankfurt, London and Vancouver. Its services to Dublin, Stockholm and Tbilisi, Georgia's capital, will continue from the summer schedule.

Sun or snow

Closer to Shanghai, China Eastern plans more Pudong flights to Bali in Indonesia, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital. The airport authority also lists planned frequency increases on Pudong routes to Bangkok, Thailand; Jeju, South Korea; and Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Domestic additions cover both snow destinations and warmer-weather breaks. China Eastern plans to increase Pudong services to Changchun and Changbaishan in northeast China's Jilin Province, and to Kashgar in northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region.

Across Shanghai's two airports, there will be more flights to over 30 domestic cities during the season. They include Harbin in northeastern Heilongjiang Province, Kunming and Lijiang in southwestern Yunnan Province, and Xiamen in southeastern Fujian Province.

China Southern Airlines also plans a new Shanghai-Jiamusi route, serving another city in Heilongjiang.

Some of China Southern's international increases are elsewhere in its network. Extra services to Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide in Australia as well as Auckland and Christchurch in New Zealand depart from Guangzhou in southern Guangdong Province.

Travelers starting in Shanghai would need to check connecting itineraries through Guangzhou.

Transfer arrangements

Pudong has upgraded its Terminal 2 international transfer hall. It supports international-to-international transfers with baggage checked through for 10 airlines, including Air China, Juneyao Airlines, Spring Airlines, Lufthansa and British Airways, the airport authority said.

Passengers should confirm with their airline whether their itinerary qualifies.

For visitors arriving in Shanghai, three one-stop service centers across the two airports offer foreign-exchange services, SIM cards, transport cards and help with mobile payments. Passport-based authentication is also available for free airport Wi-Fi.

The flight changes come alongside a longer-term airport strategy. It targets completion of Pudong's fourth-phase expansion by 2030 and a new airport in Nantong, neighboring Jiangsu Province, by 2035.

The plan would bring Pudong, Hongqiao and the new Nantong airport into an integrated system. Pudong would remain the main international hub, Hongqiao would emphasize frequent domestic services, and Nantong's network would be mainly domestic.