- Great circle
- 10,415 km
- 6,472 mi
- Estimated in the air
- 13h 27m
- block time
- Furthest from equator
- 51.9°N
- at 48% along
- One lap of Earth
- 26.0%
- of 40,075 km
Of the 292 routes catalogued here, this is the 36th longest.
What the aircraft actually flies over
From Los Angeles the path crosses the United States, then 7,603 km of open water, then Japan, then 1,094 km of open water, then South Korea, then 573 km of open water.
The furthest the great circle gets from the equator is 51.9°N, 48% of the way along.
Flying the line that looks straight on a Mercator map — one constant compass bearing — would cover 11,231 km. That is 815 km further, about 8% more, and roughly 1h 01m of extra flying.
Leaving Los Angeles the aircraft points north-west (312°); it arrives into Shanghai heading south-west (226°). That is 86° of drift without a single turn — the compass moves because the path is a curve on a sphere, not because the aircraft does.
LAX
Los Angeles
Los Angeles, United States · North America
33.9°N, 118.4°W
Los Angeles to Shanghai, asked and answered
- How far is Los Angeles to Shanghai?
- Los Angeles to Shanghai (LAX to PVG) is 10,415 km, or 6,472 mi, measured as great circle distance between the two airports.
- How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai?
- About 13h 27m 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 Shanghai flight take?
- The great circle passes over the United States, then 7,603 km of open water, then Japan, then 1,094 km of open water, then South Korea, then 573 km of open water. It reaches 51.9°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.
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