American Airlines (AA) Beijing Office announced Sunday it would
file an application to the US and Chinese regulators for opening a
new nonstop route between Chicago and Beijing on March 25,
2009.
If the application gets approved, AA will fly the route seven
days a week between Chicago O'Hare International Airport and
Beijing Capital International Airport with its 245-seat Boeing 777
aircraft in three-class configuration.
Gerard Arpey, AA's Chairman and CEO said the application was
brought forward based on the company's evaluation on China's
economic and financial prospects in 2009 and the route would add to
services available between the two cities.
Via the Chicago hub, the new route would provide connections
between Beijing and 73 cities in 29 states of the US, Arpey said,
adding that passengers in China would be able to benefit from the
code-share relationship between AA and China Eastern Airlines to
fly to other Chinese cities from Beijing.
"Having carefully looked at the current competitive landscape
and the growth patterns in traffic, we believe that expanding China
service from our Chicago gateway will provide the greatest public
benefits in this round of new service opportunities," said the
chairman.
(Xinhua News Agency July 2, 2007)
