Business Class Flights to Shanghai, China

With a population of more than 41 million people, Shanghai is China’s largest city. The city is also one of the country’s most important financial and business hubs, making it a central location for many business class flights to Shanghai, along with plenty of tourists.

Flights to Shanghai are available from most of the world’s international airports. Many visitors opt to book either a first class flight to Shanghai or a business class flight to Shanghai due to long flight times from most countries outside of Asia. A direct flight from San Francisco (SFO) to Shanghai, for example, takes about 16 hours.

Business people who book flights to Shanghai often come to the city to work in one of its primary industries. These industries include banking and finance, hospitality, and shipping, as Shanghai is also home to the world’s largest cargo port. Other industries with a large or growing presence in the city include manufacturing, information technology, renewable energy, and biotechnology.

Hundreds of Chinese and international companies have offices in Shanghai. Among them are IBM, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Morgan Stanley, Siemens, Nike, and Oracle. 

Shanghai is also home to a few large meeting and convention centers, such as the Shanghai New International Expo. Many industry professionals book business class flights to Shanghai in order to attend one of the hundreds of international conferences and expos that are held in the city each year.

Shanghai is home to more than 30 universities, which attract students from across China and the world. Among popular fields of study are art, theater, technology, teaching, and business. New York University also has a campus in the city. Students looking for cheap flights to Shanghai can often book airfare on one of China’s low-cost carriers.

Leisure travelers who book first class flights to Shanghai will find plenty of things to see and do. Among the city’s most popular attractions is The Bund, a historic waterfront district set on the western bank of the Huangpu River. The Bund, which offers views of the city’s Pudong business district, was once a British settlement that was home to the city’s former financial district.

Thousands of people each year book flights to Shanghai to experience the views from one of the city’s several skyscrapers, which are among the tallest in the world. The iconic 128-story Shanghai Tower is China’s tallest building. Other popular Shanghai skyscrapers include the 350-meter-tall Oriental Pearl TV Tower; the 492-meter-tall Shanghai World Financial Center, which is the world’s second tallest building and the tallest building in China; and the 420-meter-tall Jin Mao Tower.

Visitors from throughout China and the world also book flights to Shanghai to visit the city’s many museums. These include the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum; the China Art Museum, which is home to a large collection of modern and contemporary art; and the Shanghai Auto Museum.

Other popular tourist destinations in Shanghai include Shanghai Disneyland Park; Shanghai Wild Animal Park; Wukang Mansion; and the historic Tianzi Fang neighborhood, which is known for its native arts and crafts.

Because the natural world is valued in Chinese culture, Shanghai residents and visitors to the city also have access to several beautiful outdoor spaces. The largest of these is Century Park, located adjacent to the city’s business district. The park is home to woodlands, open grassy areas, ponds, and miles of walking and bicycle trails. For those stuck on a long flight from SFO to Shanghai, this park is worth reading more about. 

Other popular outdoor spaces in the city include Yu Garden, a traditional Chinese garden with a teahouse that is located in the Old City; Zhongshan Park, which is home to a collection of rare trees and flowers; Jing'an Sculpture Park; and Gongqing Forest Park, the city’s second largest. Gongqing Forest Park is home to several scenic ponds, is a popular spot for rock climbing, and has a large on-site greenhouse where several varieties of native and exotic plants are on display.