Comments on: China Flights Awarded, Not Nearly as Fun as Last Time

By: CF

CF — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 15:43:51 +0000

Thanks, Robert. I’ve fixed the link.

These are all new flights above and beyond what’s already out there. The two countries have had a very restrictive bilateral agreement for years which has meant that nobody has been able to add as much service as they’d like. A recent agreement between the two means that they’ll be able to slowly add service over the years, as you see here.

By: Robert

Robert — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 06:11:59 +0000

As more flights are announced are they cutting back the number of existing flights? Or does US-China just get more and more flights?

Airfares for Australia-China flights already seem to be going up more than in the past. I wonder how much is to do with the olympics. I booked a flight to beijing for my daughter and it was 1200 AUD. A lot more than last time we went to Beijing in 2003.

Also your link up the top
“The announcements came out yesterday for 2008 and 2009 flights” is not working.

regards
Robert

By: CF

CF — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 15:07:23 +0000

Nothing that I know of, Zach. I would imagine there will be some charters if they’re permitted in the bilateral agreement between our countries.

By: Zach

Zach — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 07:44:10 +0000

Are there any arrangements being made for increased flights between the U.S. and PEK for the Olympics?

I used to be a frequent flier on UA’s Chicago-Beijing service and found it to be extremely convenient, even for those not in the Chicago area (for instance, if you’re in Philly, DC, or even Hartford, you can easily and quickly get to Chicago, as opposed to dealing with a trans-con flight to CA before the trans-pacific leg to China). Delta’s ATL-PEK will compete heartily with UA in tis market.

By: Henry

Henry — Sat, 29 Sep 2007 11:08:28 +0000

I can’t say I’m surprised that NW won Detroit-Shanghai.

First, CF, as you point out, UA has won several awards, so it’s time for NW to get something.

Second, I suspect that in evaluating overall benefits, UA’s trans-Pacific hub at SFO negatively affected its chances of getting the LAX-Shanghai nod. In away, UA is being penalized for doing its job at SFO. That may not be fair, but we all know that life isn’t fair.

Finally, giving NW Detroit-Shanghai will provide added competition for all those “heartland” downline markets out there. NW is a fierce and aggressive competitor. While there are immediate and obvious benefits for the local Detroit community, the real beneficiiaries will be the mid-size and smaller cities that provide feed intothe midwest hubs. I suspect that the corporate travel dept. at Wal-Mart, in particular, is thrilled with the awards. Not only did one of its preferred airlines, AA, get a nod, but NW’s award — and, for that matter, DL’s — will help keep their travel costs in check.

By: Scott

Scott — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 21:46:57 +0000

Yeah, CZ has had a pretty substantial operation at PEK for a while now… especially since their merged their operation with China Northern Airlines and Xinjiang Airlines. In fact, earlier this spring CZ made a big announcement regarding their plans to build-up the PEK hub. So, this announcement falls right in line with that plan.

By: DR Gooch

DR Gooch — Fri, 28 Sep 2007 20:50:41 +0000

China Southern actually has been trying to expand into international service out of Beijing but was being thwarted by the government. This doesn’t surprise.