Shanghai Pudong Airport

Customer Reviews

3 star Skytrax Rating
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Queuing Times 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
Customer rating from 189 reviews
3/10
3 star Skytrax Rating
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1/10

"it all felt quite invasive"

(United Kingdom)

Not Verified | We were transiting through to Tokyo from London Gatwick. Immediately upon arrival, we were herded into a corridor with lots of other people trying to transit to other flights and given zero information. After some time, which we could have spent navigating the Airport independently, we were herded to the transit section. This whole process was a massive time suck and not needed, it felt like they didn't trust foreigners to navigate the airport on their own. The whole feel of the place is very eery. We both felt on edge as they monitor everything with an excessive amount of cameras watching/recording you constantly. We had to endure so many painfully long queues that seemed illogical. We were getting a transfer but we had to go through the exact same processes we had already cleared 12 hrs prior in London Gatwick. Our liquids and hand luggage was intensely scrutinised, even though, again, we were cleared at London Gatwick. We had to constantly show our boarding pass, provide lots of personal information and photos constantly, and it all felt quite invasive. It felt like a massive overkill. We thought having a layover of 2.5 hours would be plentiful, however we ended up, after enduring the most surreal and stress inducing transfer we've ever been through, with only 15 mins to catch our flight. It seems, judging from previous reviews, I was lucky to be able to buy 3 drinks prior to getting our flight, as we were desperately thirsty, using my card, but, again, I had to sign things, and it was a very elongated process. I am dreading our return journey. No one speaks English, they seem unconcerned about time pressures with flight transfers, and while we saw quite literally over 20 members of staff congregating at various points in the airport, they have minimal staff processing flyers. The presence of so many staff loitering around is also intimidating, as is very intensive security procedures I.e. everyone goes through the metal detector gate but noone escapes a pat down. It so excessive and massive overkill. You cannot access the "free wifi' unless you are prepared to give more personal info, like your phone number or passport details with current photo, and if you do take that deal, everything is blocked unless it's a Chinese website, so massive issues of censorship here, which is deeply uncomfortable. I would not recommend unless you are into the vibe of a dystopian escape room.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitFebruary 2024
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"Really below average airport"

(Czech Republic)

Trip Verified | Quite terrible huge but hollow terminal, has 1 cafe that sells food, most shops closed, numbers of gate have no logic. Basically no wifi - 90% of sites and apps are blocked. Reasonably clean, as its empty lots of space to sit (or lay down) and one particular employee was helpful to get me on next flight while I missed my original all in all. Really below average airport.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitDecember 2023
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"The worst international airport"

(Australia)

Not Verified | The worst international airport I’ve ever travelled through - literally no restaurants open or places to get food. The staff are very abrupt and unfriendly, and the whole experience is weird. Also, we’d booked our seats ahead of time through China Eastern and upon checking in were rudely told we have middle seats for our 13 hour flight and they declined to change our seats to what we had booked. I would strongly suggest transiting through another airport. I’ve been to remote airports in developing countries with better airports…
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitDecember 2023
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"experience was a complete and utter joke"

(Australia)

Not Verified | This whole airport experience was a complete and utter joke. The debacle began the second we left the plane, where we were subjected to long queues and no apparent wifi connectivity. The staff slap a sticker on you without consent and herd you like cattle to the transit area. The best description of the transit area is a skeleton. Yes, it is modern and clean with the initial appearance of many shops and restaurants, but spend more than 5 minutes there and you will realise there is hardly anywhere to eat, where the food is inedible, and there is hardly anywhere to shop, and the staff don't speak English. So, to pass the time, we decided to splurge on entry into the airport lounge. However, we were told (in broken English) that they only accept Chinese yuan for entry. Slightly annoyed, we asked where we could withdraw cash or exchange foreign currency, the staff member advised there was no ATMs nor currency exchange outlets in the airport. So if you want to spend more than 5 minutes in a place with barely any edible food, a smoking room resembling a scene from Black Mirror (Gulag-like environment covered with security cameras) and that simply makes you hate life, then I recommend a transit at Shanghai Pudong.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitNovember 2023
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"Terrible experience"

(Japan)

Not Verified | Recently had a stopover at Shanghai Pudong for a Tokyo-London flight. Arriving at Pudong at around 11pm we were greeted with chaotic scenes. At no point were we told that we needed to go through immigration, get a transit visa, pick up our luggage, and go through the whole check-in/immigration/security check procedure again (thanks air China for not making any effort to explain this process). To make matters worse. We spent an hour in the wrong queue. The whole process was a joke. The 200+ passengers in the very slow line (there were only 2 desks open) weren't allowed to proceed to baggage collection until every passenger had been processed. We were just told to wait 'over there'. Rude/short tempered staff who couldn't speak much English throughout. A 4 hour transit time left us with about 45 mins to spare before boarding. We couldn't buy any drinks and the WiFi was only available to Chinese (more about this later). On the return flight we were given boarding passes for the onward connection to Tokyo. Thinking we were in for an easier time was nothing short of wishful thinking. Same again really, except we didn't have to go through immigration. One desk open, told to wait by the toilets. Once the whole flight had been processed we were allowed to proceed through yet another security check where my duty free purchases from London were scrutinized. Don't bother with the 'free' WiFi. You have to scan your passport at a terminal (another queue) and once connected, the internet doesn't work. The few minutes we had in the duty free area wasn't enough to get some drinks and the stores only accept Chinese currency. On top of it all, one of my suitcases hadn't arrived in Tokyo. Terrible experience. Never flying Air China or transiting through China again.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitNovember 2023
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"the worst airport experience ever"

(Belgium)

Not Verified | The staff acts like they understand English but they don’t, like this they sent us to the transit area while we wanted to explore the city seen our long layover. There was no way to get back to the immigration section and when we asked for help the staff was rude and not helping at all. Internet doesn’t work either so this is definitely the worst airport experience ever!
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitNovember 2023
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"Awful experience"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | Awful experience, had a 5 hour transfer and was very disappointed to see around 75% of the shops and restaurants closed (T1 international departures). Only a Starbucks and a little café serving a handful of uninteresting items. Attempted to access a lounge but was told only local cash accepted, no other payment method. Also not able to purchase any last minute souvenirs as gifts as all shops closed. Will not transit via Shanghai Pudong again. Recommend you find a more 'open' alternative too.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitOctober 2023
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
3/10

"Insufferably slow"

(United Kingdom)

Not Verified | Insufferably slow. My flight from Amsterdam was 50 minutes late, whether that was due to KLM or an issue with air traffic control wasn't clear. Security takes 40 minutes. In addition to completing a health declaration via an app, you have to write out the same information on a piece of card - totally and utterly redundant, whoever is responsible for this policy is a blithering idiot. Baggage claim is also slow, it took about 30 minutes. I booked a connecting flight from Shanghai to Dalian, figuring 2 hours was more than enough - big mistake. You have to take a shuttle to the gates for domestic departures and there are no shops at these gates. Also, despite being an international airport, there's no cold drinking water.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitOctober 2023
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"so unbelievably awful"

(United Kingdom)

Trip Verified | I arrived 2.5 hours before my flight. Most check in desks were closed, except for one at the end, which seemed to be handling all the flights for that evening. The queue left the cordoned area and went halfway around the corner. I joined the queue, and spent over an hour in it. Just as I got to the cordoned queuing area, I was pulled out of the queue along with everyone else on my flight and rushed to priority check in. This could have all been avoided if they were a little more organised. Also, every time I come here my bag gets flagged by security, so they make me go round to the little room, have me unpack my suitcase, and then say its all fine. It's shocking that the international airport in one of the biggest cities in the world is so unbelievably awful.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitSeptember 2023
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
3/10

"Worst airport experience ever"

(Australia)

Not Verified | The airport itself looks alright, signs are more or less clear. On the way to my destination, I only had some minor issues. Most of the staff didn't speak English but fortunately I didn't have to interact much with them. On my way home, I went to the city for a few hours (how I managed to get some yuan was a long story though, the ATM didn't accept my Australian card. If you want to exchange money, they have a 40-yuan commission fee). Exiting the airport was okay, but upon entering again, I ran into some rude staff. When I tried to ask something, hey kept repeating the same few English words louder and louder. At the passport check, there was an issue with my passport (I assumed it was because I had two so I didn't have a stamp from the country I had arrived from) and when I was trying to ask if I should present my other passport, I was told to shut up. Oh, and about 'free wifi': it's as good as nothing because only Chinese sites are not blocked. If you know you'll need internet connection, you may want to purchase international roaming data. Worst airport experience ever.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitSeptember 2023
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no