[photopress:Air_china_southern2.jpg,full,alignright]The US-China air-service agreement allows for one additional passenger flight by an airline of each country in 2007 and 2008, four in 2009, three in 2010, and two each in 2011 and 2012.
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced the recipients. Six of the seven applicant airlines received new route authority, doubling air services between the United States and China by 2010.
Delta will begin its first service to China from Atlanta to Shanghai on March 30.
United, already with the most flights between the US and China, will, as reported, begin service between San Francisco and Guangzhou early next year.
Northwest Airlines and China Southern Airlines will offer daily nonstop flights in 2009 between Detroit and China.
China Southern Airlines, the nation’s largest carrier with hostess in our illustration, will begin daily, nonstop flights between Detroit and Beijing. Flights are expected to begin in March 2009.
Chinese carriers Hainan Airlines and Shanghai Airlines both plan to begin service to the US next year. Hainan has applied for service between Beijing and Seattle and Shanghai Airlines has applied to connect Shanghai to both Los Angeles and Seattle.
Note that Chinese airlines have yet to use all of their allotted frequencies. According to the agreement, Chinese airlines are currently allowed ten frequencies to the US but as of this month only have six scheduled flights.
Sources: Michigan Live and Asia Times
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