Beijing to Los Angeles
12h 53mgate to gate
The flight from Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) covers 10,037 km (6,237 miles) and takes approximately 12h 53m gate to gate for a typical jet.
The route heads north-east on an initial great-circle bearing of 43°, passing near 58.4° N, 176.5° W at its midpoint.
Bearing 43° north-east Midpoint 58.4° N, 176.5° W Model 805 km/h + 25 min
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Take both airports' published coordinates from OurAirports — nothing here is scraped from another flight site.
- Great-circle distance by haversine on a mean earth radius of 6,371.0088 km: 10,037 km.
- Airborne time = that distance ÷ 805 km/h, a representative jet cruise speed: 12h 28m.
- Add a flat 25 minutes for pushback, taxi, climb, descent and taxi-in — the reason a 400 km hop is never half an hour: 12h 53m gate to gate.
- Winds, aircraft type and airline schedule padding are not modelled. The cruise-speed table shows how much that assumption is worth.
10,037 km / 805 km/h = 12h 28m airborne
+ 25 min ground = 12h 53m gate to gate
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The same route, plotted on a world grid
The strip above gives the route its length and its shape. This gives it a position: latitude and longitude only, no coastlines, because a hand-drawn coastline would be decoration pretending to be data. On a flat grid the shortest path looks bent; on a globe it is straight.
Flight time at different cruise speeds
Aircraft type, winds and routing all move the real number. This is the same distance flown at different speeds, plus the 25-minute ground and climb allowance.
| Typical of | Cruise speed | Airborne | Gate to gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turboprop / regional | 550 km/h | 18h 15m | 18h 40m |
| Narrowbody jet (A320, 737) | 780 km/h | 12h 52m | 13h 17m |
| Widebody jet (777, 787, A350) | 900 km/h | 11h 09m | 11h 34m |
| Private jet (Gulfstream) | 850 km/h | 11h 48m | 12h 14m |
Headwinds on an eastbound long-haul routinely add 30–60 minutes; the same route westbound can be quicker. Airlines publish schedules with padding built in.
SOURCE·OurAirports + great-circle computation·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Both airports
| PEK | LAX | |
|---|---|---|
| Airport | Beijing Capital International Airport | Los Angeles International Airport |
| City | Beijing | Los Angeles |
| Country | China | United States |
| ICAO | ZBAA | KLAX |
| Coordinates | 40.0773, 116.5967 | 33.9425, -118.408 |
| Elevation | 116 ft | 125 ft |
Every figure on this plate is geometry. The shape of the earth is knowable; the airline's schedule is not.
Questions this plate answers
How long is the flight from Beijing to Los Angeles?
A non-stop flight from Beijing (PEK) to Los Angeles (LAX) takes about 12h 53m. The great-circle distance is 10,037 km (6,237 miles, 5,419 nautical miles), flying north-east on an initial bearing of 43°.
How far is Beijing from Los Angeles?
10,037 kilometres in a straight line over the earth's surface — 6,237 miles or 5,419 nautical miles. Actual flown distance is usually 2–5% longer because aircraft follow airways, avoid weather and route around restricted airspace.
Is there a non-stop flight between PEK and LAX?
This page calculates the direct-line time and distance; it does not track airline schedules. At 10,037 km the route is within reach of long-range widebodies, though not every city pair is served non-stop. Check an airline or booking site for what is actually scheduled.
What should I expect on a 12h 53m flight?
Anything past six hours is a long-haul flight: expect at least one meal service, a significant time-zone shift, and enough sitting that circulation and hydration start to matter. Cabin altitude, dry air and disrupted sleep do more damage to a training routine than the flight itself.
Airport coordinates from OurAirports (public domain). Distance is a great-circle calculation; flight time uses the model described on the method page. Flight times are great-circle estimates for planning only — always check the airline's published schedule.
