Air route authority between the United States and China

There are bilateral treaties that govern aviation rights between the United States and China, which cover both passenger services and cargo services. The United States has liberal aviation agreements with many countries but not China, South Africa, and some South American countries. However, there is no "open skies" agreement between China and the US, which generally refers to an agreement that allows unrestricted flights between countries. The current US-China treaty specifies the number of flights permitted. Due to the highly regulated nature of awards for route authority between the two countries and the strict limits on number of flights, the application process is competitive. US airlines have sought to gain support from local politicians and the general public to influence the US government into awarding routes.

Flights in operation before 2020

In 2006, there were 10 non-stop flights between the two countries 2 million passenger trips per year.

As of 2013, there were 28 non-stop routes (not including Hong Kong and Macau), operated by three major US carriers, United, American and Delta, and four Chinese carriers, Air China, China Eastern, China Southern and Hainan Airlines.

As of 2018, there are 61 non-stop routes (not including Hong Kong and Macau), operated by four US carriers, United, American, Delta, Hawaii and six Chinese carriers, Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan, Xiamen and Sichuan Airlines.

Among the US carriers:
*(9) United Airlines flies non-stop between Beijing and San Francisco, Chicago, Newark, and Washington as well as non-stop Shanghai service from San Francisco, Chicago, Newark, and Los Angeles as well as nonstop Chengdu service from San Francisco. United ended service to Hangzhou on 16 October 2017.
*(7) Delta Air Lines flies non-stop flights between Detroit and Seattle and Shanghai and Beijing. Delta also flies nonstop between Los Angeles and Shanghai. Delta relaunched nonstop flights between Atlanta and Shanghai on 20 July 2018.
*(5) American Airlines flies between Beijing and Dallas/Fort Worth, Shanghai and Dallas/Fort Worth, and Shanghai and Los Angeles (may transfer from LAX to SEA).
* Hawaiian Airlines ended flights to Beijing on October 12, 2018,

Following a 1987 directive, six Chinese airlines were formed in 1988 when CAAC, the Chinese airline and government regulatory agency for aviation was split and reorganized. Now there are six Chinese carriers (which are different from the original six companies) which operate US-China air routes:
*(8) Air China flies non-stop Beijing flights to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Newark, Houston, Honolulu, and Washington. and from Shenzhen to Los Angeles. Air China ended nonstop flights from Shanghai to San Jose on September 25, 2018.
*(7) China Eastern flies non-stop Shanghai flights to Los Angeles, New York, Honolulu, San Francisco and Chicago. China Eastern also flies non-stop Nanjing, Chengdu, to Los Angeles, and Qingdao to San Francisco.
*(4+1) China Southern flies non-stop flights between Guangzhou and Los Angeles since August 1997. China Southern also opened a direct flight from Guangzhou to New York in August 2014. China Southern also flies nonstop flights between Wuhan and San Francisco as well as between Guangzhou and San Francisco. China Southern launched nonstop flights between Shenyang and Los Angeles on December 18, 2018. In mid 2019, China Southern launched non-stop flights between Wuhan and New York.
*(12) Hainan Airlines flies non-stop flights from Beijing to Seattle, Chicago, Boston, San Jose, and Las Vegas. Hainan also flies non-stop flights from Shanghai to Boston and Seattle. Hainan also flies from Changsha to Los Angeles and also flies from Chengdu to Los Angeles and Chongqing to Los Angeles. Hainan launched nonstop flights from Chongqing and New York on October 20, 2017, and from Chengdu and New York on 26 October 2017.
*(3) XiamenAir flies from Shenzhen to Seattle with continuing service to Xiamen. XiamenAir also flies from Fuzhou to New York. XiamenAir also flies from Xiamen to Los Angeles via Qingdao.
*(2) Sichuan Airlines flies nonstop flights from Hangzhou, Jinan to Los Angeles.

The number of airlines with non-stop services between cities in China and the United States before 2020:

The airlines flying between China and the United States cooperate in airline alliance and through codesharing. Participating in airline alliances and codesharing is intended to increase passenger traffic on the airline by allowing reciprocal frequent flyer program benefits and increasing the number of flights that an airline offers, even though the flights are operated by another airline. The first marketing alliance between airlines of the two countries was established in 1996 between Northwest Airlines and Air China.

Star Alliance members using the US-China Air Route Authority are United Airlines, and Air China. SkyTeam includes Delta, China Southern and China Eastern. The Oneworld alliance includes American with direct service (and outside the Authority, Cathay Pacific/Dragonair via Hong Kong).

Early history

In 1979, diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the United States were established. Previously, there had been no air service between China and the United States after 1949 although there were flights between the United States and sections of China controlled by the government based in Taipei (Taiwan).

In January 1981, CAAC and Pan Am began flying between China and the United States. Northwest Airlines resumed flying to China in 1984. Facing financial troubles, Pan Am sold its Pacific route authority, as well as aircraft and equipment, to United Airlines in 1985 leading to United Airlines operating former Pan Am routes over the Pacific in February 1986.

Hong Kong, which was previously a British Crown Colony until 1981 and a British dependent territory from 1981 to 1997, is now a part of China but has a separate air agreement with the United States. Macau, formerly governed by Portugal but now governed by China, also has a separate air agreement with the United States. Taiwan is under de facto control by the government based in Taipei, not Beijing. Due to the severing of diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) by the United States in 1978 in order to establish relations with the People's Republic of China and because the mainland government does not control Taiwan, there is no air service agreement between the United States concerning Taiwan. However, there is an air service agreement between the American Institute in Taiwan and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the United States.

Due to the small number of flights, air fares tend to be high between the two countries.

Although the stated goal of both countries is for an open skies agreement, the process of reaching such an agreement has taken several years and has not been completed. Liu Weimin, director of the Aviation Laws Research Centre with the Civil Aviation Management Institute of China, has said "Under the current market situation, local carriers have a hard time competing against global giants such as Continental. That is why US airlines are enthusiastic to fly to China, while Chinese carriers are hesitating to open more flights. For local airlines, more flights may mean more losses if they cannot get enough passengers." There have been reports that the load factors (percentage of seats sold) in business and first class are lower on Chinese carriers than on US carriers.

Not all of the route authority of the Chinese airlines is used.

First non-stop service

The first scheduled non-stop flight between the two countries took place on May 1, 1996, between Detroit and Beijing, and was operated by Northwest Airlines three times a week. Northwest Airlines began Detroit-Shanghai non-stop flights twice a week starting April 6, 2000, before discontinuing non-stop service 18 months later and discontinuing non-stop Detroit-Beijing service in 2002. (the route was later re-instated on July 1, 2011, under the Delta Air Lines brand) Northwest Airlines then became the only airline authorized to fly China that did not offer any non-stop service to that country until it resumed non-stop flights between Detroit and Shanghai on June 1, 2009 (as part of its new parent, Delta Air Lines).

In April 2000, United Airlines discontinued Shanghai–Tokyo service and launched its first US–China non-stop service from San Francisco to Shanghai. In June 2000, United Airlines discontinued Beijing–Tokyo service and started non-stop Beijing–San Francisco service. This replacement of services was done because of the restrictions on the number of flights permitted under the 1999 air services agreement. Since then, all China routes serviced by United Airlines are non-stop. United's Beijing–Tokyo service was re-instated on October 26 as a temporary replacement for the Dulles–Beijing non-stop service (which was suspended for the winter season). United's Dulles–Beijing service operates year-round.

China Eastern began service to San Francisco in 1997 but has since discontinued passenger service to the airport, though cargo flights continue to be operated. China Eastern later resumed service to San Francisco on April 26, 2013. Passenger service to Chicago via Seattle has also been discontinued. Several Chinese airlines operated services to Anchorage, primarily as a fuel stop but such stops are no longer operated, in part because of long range aircraft in service.

In 2007, Delta Air Lines won the bid to operate non-stop flights between Atlanta and Shanghai. However, in 2009, only one year after having won the route, Delta suspended the route due to weak customer demand, the struggling US economy, high fuel prices, and the H1N1 flu pandemic. Delta flew its final Atlanta-Shanghai route on September 1, 2009. Delta replaced Northwest on its Detroit–Shanghai service using its Boeing 777 on October 24, 2009. Delta re-instated the Atlanta to Shanghai route on June 5, 2011, operating 2 days a week, as part of the carrier's international expansion for 2011. The route, however, ceased on January 17, 2012, for the second time citing poor performance on the route.

1999 to 2007

1999 Air Services Agreement

Concluded in April 1999, airlines from each country were allowed to increase the number of weekly flights from 27 to 54, including cargo flights.NHTSA Proposes Requirements For Voluntarily Installed Event Data Recorders
20 of these flights were designated for all-cargo flights. Each country was allowed to designate one additional airline so that four airlines from each country were allowed to fly between the two countries.

United Airlines gained additional frequencies under this agreement and, in April 2000, started non-stop Shanghai-San Francisco service.

2004 agreement

A new agreement was signed July 2004

The agreement allowed each country's carriers to serve any city in the other country. In practice, service between the two countries occurs between three large Chinese cities and a few cities in the U.S. Prior to the agreement, Chinese carriers were limited to 12 U.S. cities, and U.S. passenger carriers to only five Chinese cities. The agreement permitted unlimited code-sharing between U.S. and Chinese airlines, which had previously been limited to certain cities.

At the time of the agreement, there were plans for additional negotiations to begin in 2006 which led to another agreement in 2007.

The 2004 agreement led to the 2005 expansion of flights between the two countries as well as new service by Northwest Airlines from Tokyo to Guangzhou, which began on November 1, 2004, operated using Boeing 757 aircraft. (The route was planned to be resumed on July 6, 2011, by Delta, however, the airline indefinitely postponed the route.) United Airlines began non-stop Chicago–Shanghai flights on October 31, 2004.

2005 expansion

In June 2005, the U.S. Department of Transportation awarded American Airlines authority to fly between Chicago and Shanghai as well as authority to Continental Airlines to fly between Newark and Beijing.DOT Awards China Route Authority To United

2006 expansion

In 2006, several U.S. airlines applied for additional route authority that was granted in 2007. The United Airlines application to fly between Dulles International Airport near Washington, D.C., and Beijing was selected. The route started operating on March 25, 2007, using Boeing 747-400 aircraft.

In addition to United's application, American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines had also applied for route authority.

Continental applied for rights to fly between Newark, New Jersey

HOME


Content is Copyleft
Website design, code, and AI is Copyrighted (c) 2014-2017 by Stephen Payne


Consider donating to Wikimedia



As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases