China Market Intelligence
US Carriers to Launch Daily, Nonstop China Routes
Two daily, nonstop flights to China are set to begin operation in March
and June. Delta Airlines, Inc. will launch a route between Atlanta and
Shanghai, while United Airlines Corp. will begin flying between San
Francisco and Guangzhou, Guangdong. These routes—along with four
other daily, nonstop routes to China that will begin operation in
2009—were approved last fall by the US Department of
Transportation (DOT).
Starting in March 2009, American Airlines, Inc. will fly daily from
Chicago to Beijing; Continental Airlines, Inc., from Newark to Shanghai;
Northwest Airlines Corp., from Detroit to Shanghai; and US Airways
Group, Inc., from Philadelphia to Beijing.
The addition of these routes stems from last July's amendments to the
US-China Air Transport Agreement that aimed to double the current number
of daily passenger flights to China by 2010. DOT may authorize seven
more routes to begin operation over a two-year period starting in 2010,
according to the agreement.
PRC airlines may also increase the number of direct flights they offer
over the next several years and have already planned several routes.
| Direct Passenger Flights between the United States and China, US Airlines* |
| US Airline |
Existing Routes |
Planned Routes |
Expected Start Date |
| American Airlines Inc. |
Chicago-Shanghai |
Chicago-Beijing |
March 2009 |
| Continental Airlines, Inc. |
Newark-Beijing |
Newark-Shanghai |
March 2009 |
| Delta Air Lines, Inc. |
NA |
Atlanta-Shanghai |
March 30, 2008 |
| Northwest Airlines Corp. |
NA |
Detroit-Shanghai |
March 2009 |
| United Airlines Corp. |
Chicago-Beijing
Chicago-Shanghai
San Francisco-Beijing
San Francisco-Shanghai
Washington, DC-Beijing |
San Francisco-Guangzhou |
June 18, 2008 |
| US Airways Group, Inc. |
NA |
Philadelphia-Beijing |
March 2009 |
| |
| Direct Passenger Flights between the United States and China, PRC Airlines* |
| PRC Airline |
Existing Routes |
Planned Routes |
Expected Start Date |
| Air China Ltd. |
Beijing-Los Angeles |
Beijing-Washington, DC |
March 2009 |
| |
Beijing-New York |
Shanghai-San Francisco |
March 2009 |
| |
Beijing-San Francisco (5 flights/week) |
|
|
| China Eastern Airlines Corp. Ltd. |
Shanghai-Los Angeles |
Shanghai-Los Angeles (2 more flights/week) |
June 2008 |
| |
Shanghai-New York (4 flights/week) |
|
|
| China Southern Airlines Ltd. |
Guangzhou-Los Angeles (5 flights/week) |
Beijing-Newark |
July 2008 |
| |
|
Beijing-Detroit |
March 2009 |
| Hainan Airlines Co. |
NA |
Beijing-Seattle (4 flights/week) |
June 2008 |
| |
|
Beijing-Chicago |
June 2009 |
| |
|
Beijing-Newark |
October 2009 |
| Shanghai Airlines Co., Ltd. |
NA |
Shanghai-Seattle (3 flights/week) |
2009 |
| |
|
Shanghai-Los Angeles |
2009 |
Notes: *As of February 2008.
Routes are daily unless otherwise noted and are subject to
change at airlines' discretion.
NA = not available.
Sources: American Airlines Inc.; Continental Airlines, Inc.; Delta Air
Lines, Inc.; Northwest Airlines Corp.; United Airlines Corp.; US Airways
Group, Inc.; Air China Ltd.; China Eastern Airlines Corp. Ltd.; China
Southern Airlines Ltd.; Hainan Airlines Co.; Shanghai Airlines Co.,
Ltd.; Bloomberg; State Council Information Office; Expedia, Inc.;
FlyChina Infotek, Inc. |
This article is adapted from a report that first appeared in China Market Intelligence, the weekly members-only newsletter of the US-China Business
Council, publisher of the CBR.
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Copyright 2008 US-China Business Council
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