United Airlines have been awarded the right to operate a daily non-stop flight between Washington Dulles International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport by the…
United Airlines have been awarded the right to operate a daily non-stop flight between Washington Dulles International Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT).
This action finalizes DOT’s tentative decision to award the seven weekly frequencies to United, whose bid the department determined would serve the most customers and provide the best service to the traveling public.
If there are two countries in this world that understand the need for fast, efficient and convenient service, it`s the United States and China, Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters said. That`s why we are making it a lot easier to travel between the capital cities of the world`s two most dynamic economies starting later next month.
The Department concluded that selection of United`s Washington-Beijing proposal would fill the critical service gap between the Washington, D.C. metro area and China, and address the increasing demands in the U.S.-China market by providing the greatest increase in capacity. The Department noted that the Washington, D.C. metro area is the largest city in the proceeding lacking any nonstop service to China.
Also seeking new China authority were Continental Airlines, which applied for service between Newark, NJ and Shanghai; and Northwest Airlines, which applied for Detroit-Shanghai service. American Airlines, which earlier had applied to serve between Dallas/Ft. Worth and Beijing, subsequently withdrew its application.
The Department evaluated U.S. air carrier proposals for new service between the two countries as part of a U.S.-China aviation agreement signed in July 2004 that called for a total of 195 new weekly flights phased in over a six-year period.
Secretary Peters highlighted recent talks between the two countries aimed at increasing flight frequencies for both passenger and cargo service, and said she plans to travel to China this spring to discuss liberalization of the U.S.-China aviation agreement.
“It is clear that the market could support much more service, so we are redoubling our efforts to liberalize our aviation agreement with China,” Secretary Peters said.
