American, Continental Win US-China Air Carrier
Rights
American Airlines and Continental, both US airlines,
won important rights to add flights from the US to China.
American will start flying seven times a week to Shanghai
from its hub at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport,
beginning in March 2006. Continental Airlines Inc. will
inaugurate service on March 25 between Newark, N.J.,
and Beijing.
The launch of both routes is conditional on a final
ruling from the Transportation Department.
The newly added routes and carriers are the first batch
announced following the announcement
of an agreement between the US and China made last
summer. With the huge volume of trade between the two
countries, and highly interdependent economies, demand
for more flights has far outstripped the current supply.
For all American carriers, China has provided the fastest
increase in passenger traffic volume, contributing to
improved performance in an otherwise gloomy picture.
In addition to increased passenger traffic, China and
the US have experienced major surges in freight
traffic in the past few years.
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