United Airlines yesterday won tentative approval from the US
government for the first daily nonstop flight between Washington
and Beijing.
The route, the last one to be awarded to a US carrier before
2008 under the 2004 Sino-US aviation agreement, was awarded to
United after more than six months of jousting with three other US
carriers.
The service, coveted by both executives and government
officials, will strengthen United's already extensive Asia-Pacific
network.
It could also help buoy the carrier that is still struggling
after a three-year bankruptcy restructuring that ended in February
2006.
"United Airlines is honored to be selected as the first carrier
to connect the governments, commerce and cultures of these two
important capital cities," Glenn Tilton, United chairman, president
and CEO, said in a statement.
The US Department of Transportation said relevant parties had 14
days to file objections. If the tentative award becomes final,
United may begin the service between Washington Dulles
International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport on
March 25, using a three-class, 347-seat B747-400.
United beat out three other US carriers in the DOT's evaluation
namely American Airlines that had applied to fly between
Dallas/Fort Worth and Beijing, Continental Airlines seeking daily
nonstop flights between New York and Shanghai, and Northwest
Airlines that applied for a Detroit-Shanghai daily nonstop
service.
"American will reapply for an additional China service when the
Department of Transport is ready to consider granting additional
frequencies," Will Ris, American Airlines' senior vice president,
said in a statement. The carrier launched a daily nonstop service
between Chicago and Shanghai last spring.
Continental and Northwest were not available for comment last
night.
"With the new service, United will become a tiger with wings,"
said Li Lei, an aviation analyst with CITIC China Securities.
United, already flying daily direct flights between
Beijing-Shanghai and San Francisco-Chicago, is already the largest
US carrier between China and the US.
Some analysts had expected American Airlines to be awarded the
route since the Dallas-Beijing route would open the southern US to
China.
However, American made a last-minute change to its proposal to
add a stop in Chicago before continuing to Beijing.
"That weakened the significance of this route because United is
already flying between Chicago and Beijing," said an analyst who
declined to be named.
Offering the capital-to-capital service was probably the
deciding factor in United winning the route, Li said.
The service will allow Washington to join 28 other world
capitals in having nonstop flights to Beijing.
Washington-based fliers applauded the news.
"It will save me a lot of time," said Jiang Hua, a doctorate
student at the University of Maryland's Department of
Communications. "I don't need to head to New York or Chicago first
when traveling back to Beijing for research or to visit my
parents."
(China Daily January 11, 2007)