Shanghai Pudong International Airport (ZSPD/PVG)
Shanghai, China
Shanghai Airline Crew Layover Guide
Reviewed by Captain AL
Crew car rental deal ↓Hotel deals ↓
The PVG crew card
| Fastest into town | Maglev to Longyang Road in about 8 minutes, CNY 50 one way, then Metro line 2, 7 or 16 |
|---|---|
| First / last run | First train 06:45, last train 21:40 from Longyang Road |
| Payments | Mobile payment dominates and cash is rare; set up a payment app before you land rather than at the taxi rank |
| Tap water | The city states the public supply meets national drinking-water standards, but boiled or bottled is the universal local practice |
| Emergency | 110 (police) |
| Crew knows | Show your same-day boarding pass at the maglev counter and the ticket drops by 20 percent; almost nobody who is not crew or aircrew-adjacent remembers to do it |
| Crew deals | Verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff: on this page, right below this guide. |
airlinecrewdiscount.net · PVG crew card · Checked Aug 2026 · Next check Nov 2026 · Screenshot this card for offline
Getting from Pudong Airport to the City: maglev, metro, or taxi?
Pudong is a long way out, so the maglev exists for a reason: it turns a motorway slog into eight minutes.
👉 Swipe sideways to see the full table
| Mode | Time | Cost | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maglev | about 8 min | CNY 50 economy, CNY 100 VIP | Runs to Longyang Road, where you transfer to Metro lines 2, 7 and 16. Showing a same-day air ticket gets 20 percent off the single fare. First train 06:45, last train 21:40. |
| Metro line 2 | Cheapest option | Direct from the airport into the city and on towards Hongqiao airport, without the maglev transfer. Much slower than the maglev but a single ride the whole way, which matters with bags. | |
| Taxi | Metered | Official ranks outside arrivals. Have your destination written in Chinese characters: drivers rarely read Latin script, and this is the single most common avoidable problem here. |
Best Areas for Crew Stays in Shanghai: where should you base yourself?
The Bund and Huangpu: The waterfront view and the colonial-era frontage; central, walkable and the easiest first orientation.
French Concession: Plane trees, low-rise streets, the best eating in the city. This is the district crew keep going back to, and the one that makes Shanghai feel walkable rather than enormous.
Lujiazui (Pudong): The skyline you photograph from the Bund; closest to the airport.
Jing’an: Central, on line 2, quieter than Huangpu.
What to Do on a Layover in Shanghai: how long have you got?
Under 6 hours: Not worth leaving the airport. Pudong is far out, immigration takes time, and the maglev stops at 21:40 which catches out evening arrivals.
6 to 12 hours: Maglev to Longyang Road, metro to the Bund or the French Concession, one district on foot, and back with margin. Check the maglev last train before you commit to it.
Over 24 hours: Base centrally on line 2 and walk the French Concession properly. Sort out mobile payment and a translation app first; both make the difference between a smooth day and a frustrating one.
Crew Tips for Shanghai
Money: Mobile payment is the default and cash is increasingly awkward. Set up a payment app before you arrive, because doing it on airport wifi with a queue behind you is not the moment.
Public transport: The maglev does not run all evening: last train 21:40. Land later than that and it is the metro or a taxi, so plan the return leg before the outbound one.
Drinking Water: Shanghai states its public supply meets national drinking-water standards and publishes quality data. Boiling or bottled water is nonetheless the universal habit, and hotels supply kettles for exactly that reason.
Language: Hotel address in Chinese characters, on paper. Solves the taxi problem outright.
Safety: Street crime is not the concern here; getting lost in translation is. A translation app with an offline pack downloaded before you fly is the single most useful thing you can carry.
Emergency Numbers for Shanghai and China
How do I get from Pudong Airport to central Shanghai?
The maglev covers the distance to Longyang Road in about eight minutes for CNY 50, where you transfer to Metro lines 2, 7 or 16. Metro line 2 runs the whole way into the city without a change but takes considerably longer. Taxis wait outside arrivals.
Is there a discount on the Shanghai maglev?
Yes. Showing a same-day air ticket at the counter gets 20 percent off the single fare, which brings the CNY 50 economy ticket down accordingly. VIP class costs CNY 100. The discount is easy to miss because you have to present the ticket to get it.
What time does the Shanghai maglev stop running?
The last train runs at 21:40 and the first at 06:45. Arrivals later in the evening need Metro line 2 or a taxi instead, so it is worth checking your landing time against that cut-off before planning the trip into town.
Spotted a change? Tell us and we fix it for the next crew.
Crew Discounts in Shanghai: verified car rental and hotel rates for airline staff are just below this guide.
Staying Connected in Shanghai
Some links in this section are affiliate links. If you buy through them, AirlineCrewDiscount.net may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. We only list what we would use ourselves on a China layover.
VPN: Most of the services you rely on are blocked in mainland China: Google and Gmail, Google Maps, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube. Set this up before you fly, because the sites you would download a VPN from are blocked once you land. Use NordVPN with AirlineCrewDiscount Crew rate applies.
Data and payments: Mobile payment runs daily life here and plenty of vendors no longer take cash, so WeChat Pay or Alipay linked to your card is the practical setup, and that needs a working phone number. A local SIM does it, or an international eSIM with China data. Without data and a maps app that actually loads, navigating Shanghai on your own gets hard fast.
