Shanghai has two major airports: Pudong International (PVG) takes on most of the international flights, and Hongqiao (SHA) services the majority of domestic routes. The city has become an important air travel hub and you can now fly directly from Shanghai to most international destinations. Flights, especially domestic ones, are numerous, meaning that cut-price tickets can easily be found. The English language website www.elong.net is a good place to search. Sometimes flights are even cheaper than trains, and they are certainly faster: a 12-14 hour overnight train trip from Shanghai to Beijing is cut to two and a half
hours by plane (¥1,125 one-way).

Although now officially part of China, Hong Kong still counts as an international destination, with a high number of direct flights daily. China’s flag-carrier is Air China, which operates out of Beijing and Chengdu. The largest airline, in terms of fleet size and number of passengers carried, is China Southern Airlines, operating out of Guangzhou. After that comes China Eastern Airlines, which is based in Shanghai.