James Huey

Most international air arrivals will be at Shanghai's sparkling relatively new airport at Pudong, east of the city.  Arrivals from some Asian countries are shared with the older Hongqiao airport which is to the west of the city, which also hosts most of Shanghai's domestic flight connections.

If you are "connecting" through Shanghai, check which airports your flights operate from ("SHA" is Hongqiao; "PVG" is Pudong). Ground connections are by shuttle bus (allow 2 hours) or taxi (more expensive - allow 90 minutes).

As yet there is no subway rail connection to either airport, but extensions to existing lines are under construction to achieve that.

A bonus if you arrive at, or depart from Pudong airport is that you can travel to and from the airport in Shanghai's new MagLev (magnetic levitation) train, which peaks at over 400 km per hour!!  It's inner terminus is still a 30 minute taxi ride from the city centre. Note that the MagLev only operates in daylight hours, and if you present your airline ticket showing an arrival or departure that day, you are entitled to a discounted fare.

If you choose to use a taxi from either airport to the city or your hotel, watch out for the touts inside or just outside the terminals. They are unlicensed operators, so caution is needed, and agree the fare first.  A better option, but you might have to wait in a queue (line) for 20 minutes, are the regular taxis, which are strictly metered.