Flight time from Shanghai to Los Angeles

How long is the flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles?

A non-stop flight from Shanghai to Los Angeles takes about 13 hours and 10 minutes. The two cities are 10,415 km (6,472 miles) apart in a straight line, measured between Pudong (PVG) and Los Angeles International (LAX).

This is a long-haul route. If there is no direct flight on your dates, a connection through a hub usually adds 2–6 hours to the journey.

The estimate assumes an average speed of about 830 km/h plus around 35 minutes for taxiing, take-off and landing. Real schedules vary with the airline, aircraft, route and winds – heading east with the jet stream, flights are often a little quicker than this. Check your booking for the exact time.

Time difference and arrival time

Los Angeles is 16 hours behind Shanghai right now. A flight leaving Shanghai at 10:00 local time lands at about 07:10 local time in Los Angeles. With a 16h shift, expect some jet lag: as a rough guide the body adjusts by about an hour a day, and flying west (as on this trip) is usually easier than the other way.

Current time in Shanghai · Current time in Los Angeles · Flight time from Los Angeles to Shanghai

More flights from Shanghai

• Shanghai to Seoul 1h 35m
• Shanghai to Beijing 1h 55m
• Shanghai to Hong Kong 2h 5m
• Shanghai to Tokyo 2h 40m
• Shanghai to Manila 2h 50m
• Shanghai to Hanoi 2h 55m
• Shanghai to New York 14h 55m
• Shanghai to Mexico City 16h 5m
• Shanghai to Miami 16h 35m
• Shanghai to Cancún 16h 50m

More flights from Los Angeles

• Los Angeles to San Francisco 1h 15m
• Los Angeles to Vancouver 2h 40m
• Los Angeles to Mexico City 3h 35m
• Los Angeles to Chicago 4h
• Los Angeles to Cancún 4h 40m
• Los Angeles to Toronto 4h 50m
• Los Angeles to Mumbai 17h 25m
• Los Angeles to Singapore 17h 35m
• Los Angeles to Kuala Lumpur 17h 40m
• Los Angeles to Jakarta 18h

Why arrival times look strange

Airline schedules always show local times: departure in the departure city’s time and arrival in the arrival city’s time. Fly east and you “lose” hours – a 7-hour flight from New York to London leaving at 19:00 lands at 07:00 the next morning. Fly west and you gain them, which is how you can land in Los Angeles almost at the same clock time you left Tokyo. This calculator handles the time zones and daylight saving time for you.

How the flight time estimate works

In estimate mode the calculator measures the great-circle distance between the two cities – the shortest route over the Earth’s surface – and assumes an average speed of about 830 km/h (515 mph), plus around 35 minutes for taxiing, take-off and landing. That gives a good guide for a non-stop flight. Real schedules vary with the airline, aircraft, winds and route: flights heading east with the jet stream are often quicker than the same trip heading west, so always check your booking for the exact time.