US Airways told the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that the airline`s bid for daily service to China in 2009 provides maximum competition for U.S. consumers and greater convenience for shippers, while also…
US Airways told the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) that the airline`s bid for daily service to China in 2009 provides maximum competition for U.S. consumers and greater convenience for shippers, while also establishing a new gateway to China for more than 150,000 passengers annually.
Selection of US Airways will allow a strong new competitor to institute daily nonstop service from a new gateway, using the largest aircraft proposed by any U.S.-Beijing applicant, the airline said in reply filings with the DOT. US Airways` application also offers the dual benefits of extensive behind- and beyond-gateway connections, through its comprehensive East Coast network and codeshare arrangements with both Air China and Shanghai Airlines.
The airline is proposing seven weekly roundtrip flights serving more than 150,000 travelers annually on wide-body Airbus A340 269-seat aircraft between Philadelphia and Beijing. Service would originate at the airline`s hub in Charlotte, N.C., on a 204-seat Boeing 767 aircraft.
The airline`s case, is supported by an extensive array of elected officials from the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states. More than 40,000 people also have signed the airline`s online e-petition.
If approved by DOT, US Airways` flights would begin in March 2009 and would be the first-ever service to Asia both for the City of Philadelphia and under the US Airways` brand.
In announcing the application earlier this month, US Airways Chairman and CEO Doug Parker said US Airways` proposal will close a service gap by greatly improving access to China for the large and dynamic Philadelphia market and by offering travelers convenient one-stop connections from 37 cities into our Philadelphia hub.
Philadelphia is the second largest city on the East Coast and the fifth in the United States, with a metropolitan area of almost 6 million people. It is also the second largest U.S. metro area without nonstop service to China.
Noting that half the U.S. population lives along the East Coast and that travelers to China are served now by only 25 flights weekly from gateways in Washington, D.C., and New York, the airline said that the East Coast, and Philadelphia in particular, plainly needs additional nonstop China service.
The DOT is expected to grant authority to U.S. carriers to operate four new U.S.-China routes in 2009, and has suggested that the routes would be assigned to at least one carrier that does not currently serve China.
Vicky is the co-founder of TravelDailyNews Media Network where she is the Editor-in Chief. She is also responsible for the daily operation and the financial policy. She holds a Bachelor's degree in Tourism Business Administration from the Technical University of Athens and a Master in Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Wales. She has many years of both academic and industrial experience within the travel industry. She has written/edited numerous articles in various tourism magazines.
