Another way to save some money on this route is to check out what Air China is charging on its flights from SFO as they codeshare with United on the SFO/PEK route. For instance, I'm flying one way in biz class from SFO-PEK in a month on United metal but booked my ticket under the Air China flight number. Moral of story, my biz class ticket was $1500 vs. $4500 that United.com was charging for the same ticket. It was also the same for coach seats.