Flight time from Shanghai to San Francisco

How long is the flight from Shanghai to San Francisco?

A non-stop flight from Shanghai to San Francisco takes about 12 hours and 30 minutes. The two cities are 9,877 km (6,137 miles) apart in a straight line, measured between Pudong (PVG) and San Francisco International (SFO).

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

San Francisco is 16 hours behind Shanghai right now. A flight leaving Shanghai at 10:00 local time lands at about 06:30 local time in San Francisco. 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 San Francisco · Flight time from San Francisco 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 San Francisco

• San Francisco to Los Angeles 1h 15m
• San Francisco to Vancouver 2h 10m
• San Francisco to Chicago 4h 10m
• San Francisco to Mexico City 4h 15m
• San Francisco to Toronto 4h 55m
• San Francisco to Cancún 5h 15m
• San Francisco to Singapore 16h 55m
• San Francisco to Kuala Lumpur 17h
• San Francisco to Jakarta 17h 25m
• San Francisco to Nairobi 19h 10m

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.