The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) approved increased frequency for China-U.S. flights in late February, allowing Chinese passenger airlines to boost their weekly round-trip U.S. flights to 50 starting on March 31. While the new rate is higher than the current 35 flights, it only returns the market to one-third of pre-pandemic levels.
Air China
Air China currently operates 11 U.S. flights out of the 35 permitted, the most of any Chinese carrier. In its latest filing, the flag carrier proposed three additional flights.
- 2x weekly between Beijing Capital and Los Angeles, the new flights will depart on Mondays and Fridays. This change is in addition to the 1x weekly flights on Thursdays.
- 1x weekly flights between Beijing and New York JFK on Sundays, which will bring the total number on the route to 5x weekly.
The latest change also removed the 2x weekly stop-over at LAX on the JFK to Beijing route. The Beijing-based carrier plans to operate a total of 14 weekly flights under the new schedule.
China Southern
China’s largest airline currently operates seven flights a week. In its latest filing, the carrier added frequency to its Los Angeles route and shuffled its other routes.
- 1x weekly new frequency on Sundays between Guangzhou and Los Angeles
- 2x weekly flights between Guangzhou and San Francisco on Tuesdays and Saturdays
In addition to the new flights, the airline will also move its Wuhan, China to San Francisco flight from Thursdays and Saturdays to Wednesdays and Sundays.
The Guangzhou-based carrier has a total of ten flights per week in its proposed schedule.
Hainan Airlines
Hainan Airlines currently offers three weekly flights between Beijing, Boston, and Seattle. The carrier flies from Beijing to Boston and then stops in Seattle on its way back. The airline started the flight with Seattle as a technical stop and subsequently received approval to pick up additional passengers on the stop.
The latest filing has China’s fourth-largest airline returning one of its most popular routes and a new connection to the southwest. The latest filing includes the following rules,
- 3x weekly flights between Beijing and Seattle on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
- 1x weekly flight between Chongqing, China, and Seattle. The route is a first between the city pair, which will take over the Thursday slot from the Beijing flight after April 4
It plans to operate a total of six weekly flights under the new schedule.
Xiamen Airlines
Xiamen Airlines operates three flights a week under its current schedule.
The Fuzhou, China-based airline plans to start the summer by expanding its current Xiamen, China to Los Angeles flight to five times weekly. After May, the company plans to add the following flights.
- 2x weekly flights between Fuzhou and New York JFK on Mondays and Fridays. The return flight will have a technical stop in Urumqi, China.
Sichuan Airlines
Sichuan Airlines operates a single route from Chengdu, China, to Los Angeles on a twice-weekly basis. It plans to add a third flight on Sundays.
China Eastern
As of this writing, the Shanghai-based carrier is the only Chinese carrier that has yet to file its application with the USDOT. The airline currently flies nine flights between the two countries. The carrier could add another three flights in the choreographed effort across the Chinese airlines.
