Hey Jeffrey. I happened to take the Maglev this month,too, for the first time in years. We were staying in Pudong, and my teenage daughter was with me, so we decided to take the train to the airport more as a tourist attraction than as an efficient means of transportation. As a tourist attraction, I think it's worthwhile. Even from our Pudong hotel, we probably could have gotten to the airport in about the same time with less fuss by taxi (we still had to take a 10 minute taxi ride from the Pudong Doubletree to get the Maglev station). Still, with the airline ticket holder discount, the Maglev fare was about the same price as a taxi for 3, so why not? We got one of the fastest trains (see their website for operating hours) so I guess we got the maximum value!

I doubt I'd ever be a regular rider on the Maglev if I "commuted" to the Pudong Airport, but I do think all travellers should try the Maglev at least once. It's certainly a bit different and interesting.