United applies for Shanghai-LA route

United Airlines has applied to fly between Los Angeles and Shanghai. This comes just days after officials approved American Airlines’ plan to fly the same route. United wants to offer a daily round-trip service beginning May 20, which is shortly after American starts its daily round-trips on April 5. Both would use Boeing 777 aircraft, and would therefore be in direct competition. But United believes this is “fully warranted.”
The Los Angeles-Shanghai market has the most passengers although no US carrier currently flies the route. China Eastern Airlines offers the only nonstop flights at present.
Dallas News quoted American Airlines spokeswoman Mary Frances Fagan as saying, "We compete successfully versus United Airlines on Chicago-Shanghai and Chicago-Beijing, and we will compete successfully with United Airlines on Los Angeles-Shanghai as well."