---
title: "Los Angeles to Beijing (LAX → PEK): distance and flight time · Orbit"
description: "Los Angeles to Beijing is 10,037 km (6,237 mi) great circle, an estimated 12h 58m in the air. The route, what it flies over, and why the short way is not the straight line on a map."
url: https://orbitflights.app/routes/lax-to-pek
---

LAX → PEK

# Los Angeles to Beijing: distance, flight time and the route it really takes

Los Angeles to Beijing Capital is 10,037 km of great circle — 6,237 mi — and an estimated 12h 58m in the air. It crosses from North America to Asia.

**Great circle**
10,037 km
6,237 mi

**Estimated in the air**
12h 58m
block time

**Furthest from equator**
58.7°N
at 54% along

**One lap of Earth**
25.0%
of 40,075 km

Of the [292 routes catalogued here](https://orbitflights.app/routes), this is the 41st longest.

The Los Angeles to Beijing route drawn as a great circle arc on a globe

## What the aircraft actually flies over

From Los Angeles the path crosses the United States, then 3,162 km of open water, then the United States, then 2,258 km of open water, then Russia, then 928 km of open water, then Russia, then China.

The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 58.7°N, 54% of the way along.

Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 11,108 km. That is 1,072 km further, about 11% more, and roughly 1h 20m of extra flying.

Leaving Los Angeles the aircraft points north-west (321°); it arrives into Beijing heading south-west (223°). That is 98° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.

One economy seat on it is about 1.42 t of CO₂e each way, counting non-CO₂ warming.

[LAX–PEK carbon footprint →](https://orbitflights.app/tools/flight-carbon-calculator?from=LAX&to=PEK) [Map this route →](https://orbitflights.app/tools/flight-route-map?r=LAX-PEK)

From

LAX

## Los Angeles

Los Angeles, United States · North America

33.9°N, 118.4°W

[LAX airport →](https://orbitflights.app/airports/lax) [Flights to Los Angeles →](https://orbitflights.app/flights-to/los-angeles)

To

PEK

## Beijing Capital

Beijing, China · Asia

40.1°N, 116.6°E

[PEK airport →](https://orbitflights.app/airports/pek) [Flights to Beijing →](https://orbitflights.app/flights-to/beijing)

## Los Angeles to Beijing, asked and answered

**How far is Los Angeles to Beijing?**
Los Angeles to Beijing (LAX to PEK) is 10,037 km, or 6,237 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.

**How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Beijing?**
About 12h 58m in the air. That is an estimate from the distance at a typical airliner block speed, plus half an hour for taxi, climb and descent; published schedules vary with winds and routing.

**What route does a Los Angeles to Beijing flight take?**
The great circle passes over the United States, then 3,162 km of open water, then the United States, then 2,258 km of open water, then Russia, then 928 km of open water, then Russia, then China. It reaches 58.7°N at its furthest from the equator.

## Where these numbers come from

Distances are computed from the two airports’ own coordinates, not looked up from published routes. Times are estimates, not schedules.

[Why the shortest path is a curve →](https://orbitflights.app/blog/great-circle-routes-explained)

## Flown this one?

Orbit logs it in two taps and draws the arc on your own globe, along with every other flight you can remember. Free for your first 15.

[Download now](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.qwertybit.orbit)

## Nearby routes

[LAX → PVG Los Angeles to Shanghai 10,415 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lax-to-pvg) [LAX → ICN Los Angeles to Seoul 9,625 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lax-to-icn) [LAX → AKL Los Angeles to Auckland 10,487 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lax-to-akl) [FRA → LAX Frankfurt to Los Angeles 9,322 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/fra-to-lax) [CDG → LAX Paris to Los Angeles 9,103 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/cdg-to-lax) [LAX → HND Los Angeles to Tokyo 8,812 km](https://orbitflights.app/routes/lax-to-hnd)

## Further reading

[How many miles do you have to fly around the world?](https://orbitflights.app/blog/how-many-miles-to-fly-around-the-world) [What is on the exact opposite side of the world?](https://orbitflights.app/blog/opposite-side-of-the-world) [What's actually worth counting in a flight log](https://orbitflights.app/blog/what-is-worth-counting-in-a-flight-log)

---
Markdown copy of https://orbitflights.app/routes/lax-to-pek for language models and agents. Site index: https://orbitflights.app/llms.txt