Shanghai Pudong Airport

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.

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.

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!

✅ 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.

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.

✅ 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.

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.

✅ Trip Verified | Arrived there at 11 pm from Singapore. Signs to immigration and pick up luggage area have been quite clear. Need to fill arrival card for the immigration but it take me several minutes to find a form as the most boxes have been empty. Waiting time at immigration was almost an hour even it was not too crowded. No waiting time for taxi.

✅ Trip Verified | Shanghai Pudong Airport has convenient transportation, with subway and maglev connecting the city center. This time I experienced the newly built satellite hall, which is very beautiful and advanced. Connecting the satellite hall and the main terminal is the airport rapid transit system. After arriving at the main terminal, due to the mixed flow of departure and arrival, it is crowded. There are many carousels in the baggage claim area, but the arrival of luggage is relatively slow. The airport's signage is perfect and WiFi is fast.

Not Verified | Total Headache. I travelled LGW-PVG-KIX return in Business on Air China at the end of November 2019. All flights were on the same ticket/booking. Do not presume that Air China International-International is an airside transfer at PVG, as some posts in the net suggest. In my case from London it was most definitely not. Gatwick could not through-check the bags to KIX, meaning it was a 'self transfer' as I feared. (I travelled after the opening of the new satellite terminals). This is an unnecessarily convoluted and aggravating process if you are not prepared for it (I was, having read various forum posts and being prepared for the worst). I had to scan fingerprints and then go through immigration (far left desks at immigration for transfer) where only one sullen person at the desks was processing and another doing nothing but looking over the other person's shoulder. As mentioned elsewhere, you fill in a blue transfer landing card, not the standard one. They checked evidence of ongoing travel to another country and then processed the visa-less entry for 24hrs. I had already missed my 'connecting' flight which was 2.5 hours after scheduled landing from LGW. The flight from London was delayed so I had to re-book at the Air China desk after collecting my luggage (and customs). I duly re-checked baggage and went back through airside. In my experience you must allow at least three hours (due to skeleton staff at non-visa entry processing) and hope that your first flight is not significantly delayed, as it was in my case. In addition, no-one will meet you and rush you through immigration if your flight is delayed in this instance. The (very nice) crew on board my flight said this would be the case but I correctly doubted this. Also, the check-in staff at Gatwick for CA had no real idea regarding the process of transferring at PVG. You're largely on your own. Quite a few passengers transferring with me (experienced ones) were utterly confused regarding the transfer process, where to go, what to do etc. and staff at PVG don't really help at all - and were unfortunately quite abrupt. Hope this helps, as there is very little detailed information that is correct on the internet. Despite the moaning above, I'd actually do it again now I know what to expect (as long as I got the flight as cheap as I did again!) but leave yourself adequate time and be prepared!