Flight Vancouver May

I am planning to visit Vancouver in May for about three weeks. Which airlines do you guys use these days? I am hoping to avoid going through USA for all the hassles it involves. I have found a flight which seem cheap enough from China airlines but it has a 20 hour (overnight) stay in Shanghai. Do I need any kind of transit visa? would I be able to leave the airport for a quick look at Shanghai and also get some sleep at a basic hotel?

Has anyone done this route? Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Taipei - Manila - Vancouver was $30,000NT 2 summers ago with Philippine Airlines. Can have a mini-holiday in the Philippines either coming or going or both!

Last time I went to Vancouver in Jul last year I found cheaper more convenient flights via Seattle, so went that route.

now it is over 50000NT (including taxes) !

50K?! What?! Rats, I wanted to visit a friend in Vancouver in August. It would be much worse then, summertime and all. :frowning:

If anyone finds a cheaper route/airline/clever agent, please share.

I flew back last year in May with Philippine Airlines and it was only about Nt32,000.

Em, and how was the experience? Okish?

Em, and how was the experience? Okish?[/quote]

Oh yeah, it’s a fine airlines. I have used them at least eight times. There’s usually a 6 hour layover in Manila which is dull as you are in the airport and it is a small affair. Coming back the layover is just a couple hours. Service is fine on the airlines.

Usually in the fall the price is around NT24,000. I even flew for that price on Christmas Day, and because of the time different actually arrived in Vancouver for Christmas.

Sounds good. Thank you for the tip. :slight_smile:

So the question is: has anyone done an overnight stay in Shanghai en route and what was the experience like? 24 hours transit visa, getting out of the airport, visiting a couple of sights, a cheapish hotel?

Never gone through China, but have done the Manilla route. we took a week layover there and went around there then onward to canada. we paid around $33k i think return. 3 month ticket in summer 2010

I’ve done a much shorter layover in Shanghai, but I did have to go through immigration (because transit services in Chinese airports are abysmal, but that’s a rant for another time). Shanghai does have a 24 (or maybe even 48) hr transit thing - you don’t have to do anything but tell them transit and show your ticket. They’ll just stamp your passport with a different shaped stamp.

In Shanghai, I have stayed in this hostel: http://www.hostels.com/hostels/shanghai/captain-youth-hostel-(fuzhou-road.-the-bund)/1891. It was all right, nice location. For a cheapish but decent hotel, the chain Home Inn must have some places in Shanghai.

For some reason I have no recollection of my trip to the airport, so I can’t comment on what that’s like.