Shanghai Airport

[PigDogg]

If you are travelling from Chicago on United (or Toronto on Air Canada) and want to connect to a Thai Airways flight at Shanghi Airport do you have to change terminals or do any time consuming passport stuff?

[Road Runner]

This website  Travel China Guide  appears to work  -  unlike the official site  -  and it says that United and Thai airways are both in the new terminal 2.

Looks like a transfer is the standard passport/ticket/security check.

Also:-

Visa exemption:
1. Visa is not necessary for cabin staff and passengers from any other countries who come to China and will only stay within airports no more than 24 hours.
2. Citizens of these countries can make an air transit in Shanghai Pudong and Hongqiao Airports without a transit visa if your period of stay does not exceed 48 hours,
showing valid passport, visa of your destination country and connecting flight ticket. You are allowed to get out of the airport.
These countries are: Korea, America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, French, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Portugal, Spanish, Italy, Austria, Greece, Sweden, Danmark, Norway, Fenland and Iceland.

Notice they don't let the British out  -  can't say I blame them.    

RR.

[EyeMahk]

Last I transferred in Shanghai (PVG) Thai Airways to UA, all passengers needed to enter China, claim bags, go upstairs one level, and have the bag rechecked at the UA counter to USA. Whole process took about 75 minutes (long wait for bag).

If no bags checked, you still need to enter China through immigration, then go upstairs and re-enter the departure area through security.

PEK is the same. PVG and PEK are not convenient airports for Int'l connections. If you have any other choice than transferring in China, you should take it. (NRT, HKG, TPE, ICN).

You do not need a visa, as RR says, as you will be in China for less than 24 hours.

NOTE:  There are transfer desks for "some" airlines (China Air, for example) and I believe that Thai Airways is one of them.  So on the USA-Thailand portion, you may save time and hassle by not having to enter China.  But I can tell you with 100% certainty that connecting to UA in PVG will require you going through immigration, customs, and baggage recheck.

Search the flyertalk.com boards for "PVG transfer" and you'll find lots of information.