The only way I can fly from HGH to PEK to make a UA connection in PEK-SFO is on CA on a flight that arrives in PEK at 10a.m. (leaving me exactly 2 hours to get to the UA flight to SFO). 2 hours is of couse the minimum connection time for domestic-to-international within terminal 3.

Another option is to go PVG-SFO on a UA flight departing at 12:10pm, but that will require taking the train HGH-Shanghai and then taxi to PVG from there.

Questions:

1. Which, in your experience, is more reliable (i.e., risk of avoiding connection)?

2. To get to PVG in time for a noon flight, what train should I take from Hangzhou? I cannot find a website for the trains -- where is that?

3. Leaving the night before is not an option for me as I cannot leave before the departure date and must arrive in the US on the departure date.

4. Is 2 hours enough in PEK to connect within T3?

5. There is some indication that CA flights are not reliably on time. Would the first flight HGH-PEK be an issue?

6. i am flying business class the whole way. Will that provide me expedited security and outbound border check?