Business & First Class Flights to Beijing

Air China flies Beijing Capital nonstop from New York JFK, Washington, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with First Class on some 777-300ERs and a lie-flat 1-2-1 business on its 777s and 787s; United flies Polaris from San Francisco. Nonstops from other cities have not returned, so the one-stops carry most premium traffic: ANA and Japan Airlines via Tokyo (Beijing is three and a half hours from Haneda), Korean Air via Seoul (two hours), Cathay Pacific via Hong Kong (three and a half), and EVA Air via Taipei, with First on the Pacific leg on ANA, JAL and Cathay. From the East Coast, Qatar Airways, Emirates and Turkish Airlines via their hubs are reasonable alternatives.

Capital Airport's Terminal 3 is the international hub, 45–60 minutes from the center by car or 25 by the Airport Express; Daxing, the newer airport to the south, is further out and serves a different set of airlines, so confirm which one your ticket uses before booking a hotel. High-speed trains from Beijing South reach Shanghai in four and a half hours and Xi'an in four and a half, which makes a fly-in-Beijing, fly-out-Shanghai open-jaw the natural China itinerary. US citizens need a visa for a stay; the 240-hour visa-free transit applies to onward international travel.

Spring and autumn are the seasons — April–May for warmth without the summer heat, September–October for the clearest skies of the year. Lunar New Year and the October Golden Week are the two weeks to avoid. Winter is cold but often clear, and the cheapest time to fly; summer is hot and busy with domestic tourism. Our $3,400 starting fare from New York applies to shoulder-season business; as with Shanghai, capacity is thin, so book early.