Cheap flights to
China

Whereas the peak tourism season in some destinations is based almost entirely on weather, in China, it’s also closely tied to the festival calendar. Broadly speaking, China’s high season is the late spring into summer, roughly May to August. This is when crowds are plentiful, temperatures are extremely high, and rainstorms are a regular occurrence.

There are three major national holidays in China that are known as “Golden Weeks.” These public holidays mean most people have work vacations of 8-9 days, which many use to do their own traveling to visit family elsewhere in the country. In other words, if you’re in China during one of the Golden Weeks, be prepared for even bigger crowds on transportation, not to mention some shops and businesses being closed. The Golden Week holidays in China are May Day (May 1), National Day (October 1), and the Chinese New Year, which falls between January 21 and February 20 each year.

For an ideal mix of more temperate weather, lower prices, and smaller crowds, China’s shoulder seasons are a great option. The shoulder seasons roughly correlate with spring (March-April) and fall (September-October), with the exception of the Golden Week around National Day (October 1). In both the spring and fall shoulder seasons, you’re far less likely to experience extreme heat or sudden downpours—and you’ll also avoid the bitterly cold weather of the winter months.

There are nearly 250 airports throughout China with passenger service and 18 that see 10M or more passengers annually. Of those, there are currently seven airports with nonstop service from the United States: Beijing (PEK), Chengdu (CTU), Guangzhou (CAN), Shanghai (PVG), Shenzhen (SZX), Wuhan (WUH), and Xiamen (XMN). And while deals on flights to China are relatively rare at the moment, we have found a few mistake fares to Shanghai and Beijing recently.

Before the pandemic, there were more than 350 weekly flights between the US and China. The number of direct flights from the US to China has slowly been increasing, but it’s still only a small fraction of the pre-pandemic volume. There are seven airports at the moment that have direct flights from the US, and most of these land in Shanghai or Beijing.

• Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) is the busiest international gateway in the country, with service from 78 airlines. It’s a hub for Air China, Shanghai Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Juneyao Airlines, and Spring Airlines, as well as a focus city for Hainan Airlines. There are eight airports in the United States with direct flights to Shanghai.
• Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) is one of the busiest airports in Asia. There are 44 airlines serving Beijing, which is a hub for Air China and Hainan Airlines, as well as a focus city for Sichuan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, and Shandong Airlines. Six US airports have nonstop flights to Beijing.
• Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU) is a hub for Air China, Chengdu Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, Lucky Air, Shenzhen Airlines, Sichuan Airlines, and Tibet Airlines. There is only one nonstop flight from the US to Chengdu Shuangliu, a seasonal United Airlines route from San Francisco (SFO).
• Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport (CAN) is one of the largest airports in Asia, with 67 airlines operating out of Guangzhou. It’s a hub for 9 Air, China Southern Airlines, Hainan Airlines, and Shenzhen Airlines, as well as a focus city for China Eastern Airlines. China Southern has two direct flights from the US, from Los Angeles (LAX) and New York City (JFK).
• Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport (SZX) is a hub for China Southern Airlines, Donghai Airlines, and Shenzhen Airlines and a focus city for Hainan Airlines. There is one nonstop flight from the US: an Air China route from Los Angeles (LAX).
• Xiamen Gaoqi International Airport (XMN) is a hub for XiamenAir and a focus city for Shandong Airlines, China Eastern Airlines, and Spring Airlines. There is one direct flight from the United States to Xiamen: a XiamenAir route from Los Angeles (LAX).
• Wuhan Tianhe International Airport (WUH) is a hub for Air China, China Eastern Airlines, and China Southern Airlines, with an additional 35 airlines serving Wuhan. There are seasonal direct flights operated by China Southern flying from San Francisco (SFO).

Bringing a pet with you on a trip to China is pretty challenging but not impossible. There are only two kinds of animals allowed—dogs and cats—and each traveler is limited to one animal. If you want to be able to bring a dog or cat with you, arrive in any port of entry, and skip the usual 30-day quarantine upon arrival, you have to meet all of the following:

• The animal must be up to date on rabies vaccines and have had at least two rabies vaccinations.
• The animal must have a microchip for identification, and you may need to travel with a microchip reader if your pet does not have an ISO-compliant chip.
• You must have proof of rabies titer test performed on or after the day of the second rabies vaccination and tested at an approved laboratory.
• You must carry an international pet health certificate, which is issued by USDA-accredited veterinarians, dated within two weeks of your arrival in China.
• The health certificate, an original copy of the rabies vaccine certificate, a copy of your passport, a photograph of the animal, and a photocopy of the photograph must all be provided to the General Administration of Customs office at the airport.
• If you are traveling with a dog and staying for more than a month, it must be registered with the local police within one month of arrival.

If you’re unable to meet any of these requirements, you’ll be limited to specific ports of entry, and your animal will be kept in quarantine for 30 days. Keep in mind, too, that these regulations are on top of any rules the airline has for flying with a pet—so be sure to check on those rules, too.

You can read these requirements in greater detail on the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service site.

Both the United States and China are big countries, making this an impossible question to answer simply—so here are a few flight time estimates in a handful of cities around China to give you an idea of what to expect.

• There are eight options for nonstop flights to Shanghai from the US. From the West Coast, it’s about 13.5-14.5 hours. From Dallas, it’s about 16.5 hours. From Chicago and Detroit, it’s around 14.5-16.5 hours. From the East Coast, it’s 15-15.5 hours.
• There are six options for nonstop flights from the US to Beijing. From Los Angeles or San Francisco, flights are around 14-15 hours. From Chicago, it’s about 13.5 hours. From New York or Washington D.C., it’s about 13-14 hours.
• There are two nonstop flights to Guangzhou from the United States. From LAX, the flight is about 16 hours. From JFK in New York, it’s about 16 hours.
• The only nonstop flight to Chengdu from the US is from San Francisco, and it’s about 14.5 hours long.