Beijing and Shanghai Airport Lounges 2026: Who Gets In at PEK, PVG and SHA

Whether you get into a lounge at Beijing Capital (PEK), Shanghai Pudong (PVG) or Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA) depends on your boarding pass: the cabin you booked, the tier of the card you hold, the airline that actually operates the flight, and whether that airline's rules cover the lounge in question. First and Business tickets and top-tier cards open the most doors. Mid-tier cards and alliance status work only on certain flights and in certain lounges. Most programmes let you bring one guest, and the top card tiers at China Southern and Hainan Airlines allow two. None of the official pages cited below publishes a lounge price, so this guide gives none.

Air China: PhoenixMiles cards

Air China's PhoenixMiles Elite Member's Guide (effective 25 November 2023) sets lounge access by card tier and by the airline operating your flight. It says that if the guide conflicts with the PhoenixMiles website, the website prevails, and that the Chinese original prevails over the English text.

• Platinum tier (Annual Premium Lifetime Platinum, Lifetime Platinum, Platinum): every type of Air China self-operated lounge the guide lists (First, Business, First and Business, VIP member and mixed-class). This applies on flights operated by Air China (CA), Shenzhen Airlines (ZH), Shandong Airlines (SC) and Air Macau (NX).
• Gold: the Business, VIP member and mixed-class self-operated lounges, on the same four carriers. The Gold table has no First Class lounge.
• Contract lounges: Air China's contract lounges are open to Platinum and Gold only on Air China (CA) flights, according to the table.
• Silver: the table marks the self-operated Business, VIP member and mixed-class lounges with an asterisk, and the footnote says "Domestic lounge costs 3000 km (including domestic segments of international flights). International lounge costs 5000 km."
• Air China cardholder on another Star Alliance airline: the guide says Star Alliance Gold gives access to lounges operated by Star members (excluding Air China and Shenzhen Airlines flights), Star-branded lounges and designated contract lounges. For flights within the country of the Star carrier, it adds that the carrier's own lounge instructions apply. Its status table pairs the Platinum cards and the Gold card with Star Alliance Gold, and Silver with Star Alliance Silver. The Star Alliance Silver section lists no lounge access.

China Eastern: Eastern Miles cards

China Eastern's Eastern Miles benefits page applies these rules to flights marketed and operated under MU and FM codes (MU/MU, *MU/FM, FM/FM and *FM/MU).

• Platinum: First, Business and Platinum lounges.
• Gold and Silver: Business and Gold-Silver lounges. Whether a Gold member can bring a companion depends on the ticket, as the guest table below shows.
• Same day only: lounge service is available only on same-day departing MU or FM flights, and is subject to actual airport conditions.
• Hongqiao T2: the 21-metre-level lounge admits only holders of First or Business boarding passes.

On alliance status, the page says Eastern Miles Platinum and Gold correspond to SkyTeam Elite Plus and Silver corresponds to SkyTeam Elite. China Eastern's FAQ page confirms the Gold and Silver mapping. On same-day departing international flights both marketed and operated by SkyTeam airlines, Platinum and Gold members can use SkyTeam lounges at specific airports, with one companion on the same SkyTeam flight who must appear with the member. On same-day departing flights within one country both marketed and operated by SkyTeam airlines, they can use lounges at designated airports. The page's alliance table lists no lounge access for the Silver/Elite tier. To be recognised, ask the partner airline to add your Eastern Miles number to the booking when you buy the ticket, as the page advises.

China Southern: Sky Pearl Club cards

China Southern's FAQ (the English page on its Taiwan site) says that if you hold a First or Business ticket, or a Gold or Silver Card from Sky Pearl Club, you may use China Southern VIP lounges at airports where China Southern has a lounge agreement. The Sky Pearl Club benefits page adds Platinum, which gets First and Business lounge access. It says elite benefits apply on flights both marketed and operated by China Southern, and that China Southern provides lounge access only at lounges it operates or has a service contract for. These pages do not name any China Southern lounge at PEK, PVG or SHA, and give no locations or hours. The FAQ gives the sales hotline, 95539.

Hainan Airlines

Hainan's Beijing and Shanghai pages set entry as follows, and each page states its own tier rules.

• Beijing T2: the Fortune Wings page splits entry into a lounge for business class passengers and Fortune Wings Platinum members, and a Gold and Silver lounge for Fortune Wings Gold and Silver members, Jinlu Golden Deer cardholders and Alaska Airlines MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K members. The HNA Club page words it more broadly: business class passengers and Fortune Wings elite members, plus the same Alaska members.
• Shanghai Pudong T2 HNA Club: business class passengers flying Hainan Airlines and Grand China Air, Fortune Wings members (Platinum, Gold, Silver and Golden Deer) on those airlines, Flying Express VIP members on those airlines, and holders of IHG One Rewards VIP lounge coupons.

Because the two Beijing pages word entry differently, which room your ticket or card opens is Hainan's decision.

Star Alliance, SkyTeam and oneworld

The most common question is whether alliance status alone gets you in. None of the alliance pages says which lounges at PEK, PVG or SHA take part, so they set rules by ticket and flight, and the operating airline decides which lounge you can use.

Star Alliance

The Star Alliance lounge access policy sets these rules for flights operated by a Star member:

• International First: Star member and Star-branded lounges at your departure airport, where the lounge shows the Star Alliance logo; ultra-premium exclusive lounges are excluded.
• International Business: Business lounges showing the Star Alliance Gold logo.
• Domestic First or Business: only "some member airlines" offer access. The page does not say which, so a domestic flight inside China is not covered by a general promise.
• Star Alliance Gold in any class: Business lounges showing the Star Alliance Gold logo. If your boarding pass carries no Gold indicator, show your valid Star Alliance Gold card. If you fly First, you may also reach First lounges.
• Timing: your flight must depart the same day as your visit, or by 05:00 the next morning.

SkyTeam

SkyTeam's lounge pages cover Elite Plus, First and Business class customers.

• Flights: a same-day international flight operated by a SkyTeam airline, or a same-day transfer between two SkyTeam-operated flights. For domestic connections under this policy, the itinerary must continue to an international flight, directly or after another domestic flight; First and Business customers must have all connecting segments booked in First or Business. Access is at departure and transfer airports only, not on arrival.
• Timing: you can enter from 3 hours before departure.
• What to show: for Elite Plus, your boarding passes and a valid Elite Plus card; for First or Business, your boarding pass.
• Domestic flights: since 1 April 2025, Elite Plus members can use select domestic lounges. SkyTeam's October 2025 release says 32 participating lounges in China are run by China Eastern and Xiamen Airlines, and advises checking location, opening hours and policy before visiting. It does not say which of them are at PEK, PVG or SHA. For domestic-only itineraries, the lounge page says you "may have access to select lounges", so do not count on it.
• Fares: SkyTeam's FAQ notes that some discounted Business Class fares may not include lounge access, and that lounge access can vary by airline.

oneworld

On oneworld's lounge access policy page, eligible flights must be both marketed and operated by a oneworld member airline. Access is on the day of travel or before 06:00 the next day.

• Emerald: First, Business or frequent-flyer lounges.
• Sapphire: Business or frequent-flyer lounges.
• Ruby: the policy names only Emerald and Sapphire for status-based access and lists no lounge access for Ruby.
• First or Business cabin: passengers on any oneworld airline may receive lounge access.
• Limits: lounges may restrict access at busy times, and arrivals lounges are excluded. The page does not name which lounges at PEK, PVG or SHA take part.

Guests at a glance

Air China's Silver table and oneworld's Business-class entry state no guest allowance.

Paying to get in

The official pages describe the paid options without stating a price:

• Air China self-operated lounges: Air China's product page describes a paid product for flights actually operated by Air China that depart from the airports it lists. The bookable domestic VIP lounges include Beijing Capital and Shanghai Pudong, and the bookable international two-cabin lounges include Beijing Capital and Shanghai Pudong. What you can book follows what the system shows.
  • A child's price equals an adult's, and infants are free.
  • Once a lounge has been used, the order is not refundable. An unused purchase can be refunded, with the money returned within 7 working days.
  • You can request an invoice in the Air China app.
  • The product covers lounge admission only: not the premium check-in counters, priority security, priority boarding, or extra-charge items inside the lounge.
• China Eastern self-operated lounges: the Eastern Miles benefits page says its self-operated lounge products on sale are booked on China Eastern's website, app, mobile site or WeChat mini programme. Its coupon rules say only self-operated lounge products on sale there can be booked. The page gives no price.
• SkyTeam: its lounge page says it is not currently possible to buy lounge access through skyteam.com.
• Beijing Capital timed rest rooms: these are hotel-style rest rooms listed on the airport's page, not airline lounges. The page lists them as open 24 hours:
  • T2 international, basement level 1, D101-104 (010-64577800)
  • T2 domestic, basement level 1, D105-108 (010-64577800)
  • T3-C domestic, second floor, 100 metres west of the C entrance (010-64573008)
  • T3E international, opposite gate E10 on the international departure side (010-64532621); the page says you must finish check-in first, and lists showers and timed seating
  • The Kongang Yizhan rest room, T3 second floor, east of the domestic arrivals A entrance (010-53822683)
• Shanghai Airport VIP Service: its page says the company operates on a membership basis and manages VIP and VVIP lounges at Pudong and Hongqiao. It states no admission rule, walk-in policy or price. It shows a booking hotline, 021-962629, open 08:00-22:00.

Where the lounges are

Beijing Capital (PEK)

Air China's guide gives no opening hours for its lounges. Hainan's Beijing Fortune Wings page says the Beijing lounge opened on 3 May 2020 and runs from 90 minutes before the first flight to the last outbound flight. The airport service line is 010-96158.

Shanghai Pudong (PVG)

Hainan's Shanghai T2 HNA Club is on the platform above gate C89 in the T2 domestic departure hall. Hainan's page gives about 374 square metres and seating for up to 70, with opening hours from 90 minutes before the first flight of the day to the last outbound flight.

Shanghai Airport's VIP service page lists these Pudong lounges, with phone numbers as shown on the page (no area code given):

Shanghai Hongqiao (SHA)

The Shanghai Airport page gives no opening hours or admission rules for these lounges. China Eastern's Eastern Miles page uses the same "21-metre-level" name and says that lounge takes only First or Business boarding passes. Air China's product page lists Pudong for its paid lounges but gives no lounge locations there.

Which should you choose

• You fly Air China with a PhoenixMiles card: use Air China's own lounges. Platinum covers every self-operated type, Gold covers Business, VIP member and mixed-class, and Silver depends on the footnote above.
• You fly China Eastern or Shanghai Airlines with an Eastern Miles card: follow the Eastern Miles rules for MU or FM flights. Remember that the Hongqiao T2 21-metre lounge takes only First or Business boarding passes.
• You hold SkyTeam Elite Plus (including Eastern Miles Platinum or Gold) on an international flight operated by a SkyTeam airline: SkyTeam's rules apply, with entry from 3 hours before departure.
• You hold SkyTeam Elite Plus on a domestic-only trip: SkyTeam says only select lounges take part, so treat it as uncertain.
• You fly a Star Alliance member on an international flight with Star Alliance Gold, or in First or Business: Star Alliance requires the Gold logo for Gold-status and international Business access, and the Star Alliance logo for international First access. On a domestic flight inside China, Air China's elite guide says to follow the operating airline's own lounge instructions.
• You hold oneworld Emerald or Sapphire: your flight must be both marketed and operated by a oneworld airline. The oneworld page does not say which lounges at PEK, PVG or SHA take part.
• You fly China Southern or Hainan Airlines: use their own card rules above. Hainan's Beijing T2 and Pudong T2 lounges are listed in the location tables; China Southern's pages name no lounge at these airports.
• You have no card and no premium ticket: your options are Air China's paid lounge product on Air China-operated flights, China Eastern's self-operated lounge products on its own channels, or the timed rest rooms at Beijing Capital. Shanghai Airport's VIP page states no rule for the public, so call 021-962629 before you go.

Before you go, and if you are turned away

Have these ready:

• Your airport, terminal and whether the departure is domestic or international.
• The airline that operates the flight, not only the marketing code.
• Your cabin, your card tier and its alliance equivalent.
• Your guest's boarding pass, on the same flight where the rules require it.
• Your card, digital or physical, as the Air China guide and SkyTeam both expect you to show it.

If you are refused, the official pages suggest these steps:

• Status not showing: Air China's guide says that if your elite level has not updated in its system, you should show your new e-card or ask a staff member to confirm your level.
• Boarding pass without a Gold mark: Star Alliance says to show your valid Star Alliance Gold card.
• Airport conditions: China Eastern says lounge service is subject to actual airport conditions, and oneworld says lounges may restrict access at busy times.
• Contact the operating airline: SkyTeam says it does not manage lounge reservations or customer claims, and tells you to contact the airline. Air China's call centre is 95583, China Eastern's is 95530 and China Southern's is 95539. Ask the airline named on your ticket which lounge is assigned to your boarding pass.

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