American and Hawaiian Airlines have both announced plans to cut international flight connections to China, Reuters reports.
American, which announced it will close its Chicago-Shanghai connection, blamed the decision on rising fuel costs and increased competition, which has made the service unsustainable. The airline also ended a route connecting Chicago and Beijing in May.
Hawaiian also made public its intention to suspend its flight connection between Honolulu and Beijing on Tuesday. The company gave no reason for its decision.
China’s aviation regulator ended its “one route, one airline” policy in May, which has allowed multiple Chinese airlines to open connections along the same international routes, increasing competition in the aviation market.
“U.S. airlines are at a severe disadvantage. The majority of the demand is China-generated, and that gives Chinese carriers the advantage,” Mike Boyd, president of aviation researchers Boyd Group, told Reuters.
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