Travelore News: US Suspends Chinese Airline Flights In COVID-19 Dispute

The U.S. government is suspending 26 flights by Chinese airlines from the United States to China in a dispute over anti-virus controls after Beijing suspended flights by American carriers.

The Department of Transportation on Thursday complained Beijing violated an air travel agreement and treated airlines unfairly under a system that requires them to suspend flights if passengers test positive for COVID-19.

U.S. regulators suspended seven flights by Air China Ltd. from New York City and a total of 19 flights from Los Angeles by Air China, China Eastern Airlines Ltd., China Southern Airlines Ltd. and Xiamen Airlines Ltd., according to the Department of Transportation.

It said that was equal to the number of flights United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines were required to cancel under Beijing’s “circuit-breaker” system.

The ruling Communist Party’s “zero COVID” strategy aims to keep the virus out of China while other governments are shifting to living with the disease. That has kept case numbers low but disrupted travel, manufacturing and trade. Beijing is easing travel curbs, but most foreign visitors still are barred from China.

Until Aug. 7, if up to nine passengers on a flight tested positive, a carrier could suspend a flight for two weeks or reduce the passengers it carried to 40% of the possible total, according to DoT. It said that since Aug. 7 airlines have been required to suspend a flight if the number of positive tests reaches 4% of passengers on one flight.

The agency complained that airlines face “undue culpability” for passengers who present negative test results before boarding but test positive after arriving in China.

China’s actions are “premised on circumstances wholly outside of the carriers’ control,” the U.S. statement said.

“We reserve the right to take additional action” if Beijing imposes “further circuit-breaker measures,” the statement said.

Travelore News: Delta Begins Codeshare Agreement With Shanghai Airlines

Delta Air Lines is relocating its passenger operations from Terminal 2 to Terminal 1 at Shanghai-Pudong (PVG) airport beginning April 13 to collocate with its airline codeshare partners China Eastern Airlines and Shanghai Airlines, a wholly owned subsidiary of China Eastern.

The move and codeshare agreement are part of Delta's broader strategy to collaborate and expand services in China and become a more prominent U.S. carrier while continuing to offer the most robust network choices of a U.S. global carrier.

The relocation to Terminal 1 will allow for more convenient connections and a seamless customer experience for customers flying with China Eastern, Shanghai Airlines and Delta, including access to China Eastern's new 4,000 square-foot SkyTeam Lounge, which opens in late 2015. Delta customers will also receive SkyTeam Elite benefits such as priority check-in, priority boarding and preferred seats.
"By relocating our operations and growing our partnership with China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines, Delta will offer the most comprehensive intra-China network at Shanghai airport for our customers in the United States and China," said Vinay Dube, Delta's senior vice president – Asia Pacific. "For the past several years, Delta consistently enhanced nonstop service between China and the U.S., and we look forward to adding to our network new service between Los Angeles and Shanghai beginning in July."

"China Eastern Airlines and Delta, being important SkyTeam member airlines, have continued to deepen cooperation in various fields in recent years," said Mr. Dong Bo, chief marketing officer at China Eastern. "The two airlines are committed to becoming the leading partnership on trans-Pacific routes through more extensive and deeper cooperation. The codeshare between Delta and Shanghai Airlines will further enrich bilateral cooperation, products and expand the network."

Combined with its hubs and focus markets in Detroit, Seattle, Los Angeles and Tokyo-Narita, Delta will operate 28 weekly departures to Shanghai this summer. Additionally, Delta offers daily service to China's capital, Beijing, from both Seattle and Detroit. The new Los Angeles to Shanghai route is subject to government approval.

By adding Delta's code on 11 Shanghai Airlines-operated China domestic routes, customers traveling on Delta's trans-Pacific flights will have access to a greater number of interior cities in China beyond Shanghai. Conversely, customers traveling from interior cities in China can buy a Delta ticket to the U.S. and beyond as a consolidated itinerary.

The new codeshare agreement with Shanghai Airlines complements Delta's existing agreement with China Eastern from its Shanghai hub. Combined with both partners, Delta provides connections to nearly 30 destinations beyond Shanghai including Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Nanjing. It will also provide access to four new destinations from Shanghai – Zhengzhou, Guiyang, Nanning and Tianjin.

Delta is making significant investments to build the most Chinese-friendly U.S. airline. Chinese travelers are well served with local language options on delta.com, at airport self-service kiosks and among in-flight entertainment selections. The airline has Chinese-speaking flight attendants on every flight to and from China and offers Chinese cuisine among its in-flight meal options. As announced earlier this month, Delta launched its official WeChat account to provide Chinese customers with in-language flight information, marketing promotions and tips for popular Delta destinations through China's most popular SNS service.

Delta coded Shanghai Airlines operated routes (effective April 1, 2015):

Guangzhou, China (CAN) - Shanghai, China (PVG); roundtrip
Zhengzhou, China (CGO) - Shanghai, China (PVG); roundtrip
Changchun, China (CGQ) - Shanghai, China (PVG); roundtrip
Guiyang, China (KWE) - Shanghai, China (PVG); roundtrip
Guilin, China (KWL) - Shanghai, China (PVG); roundtrip
Nanning, China (NNG) - Shanghai, China (PVG); roundtrip
Shanghai, China (PVG) - Tianjin, China (TSN); roundtrip
Shanghai, China (PVG) - Xiamen, China (XMN); roundtrip
Haikou, China (HAK) - Shanghai, China (PVG)
Harbin, China (HRB) - Shanghai, China (PVG)
Shanghai, China (PVG) - Wuhan, China (WUH)

Travelore News: American Airlines Receives Approval To Begin Dallas - Beijing Service

American Airlines will begin operating its new daily service between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) on May 7, marking the airline's sixth daily flight to Asia from DFW and the only nonstop flight connecting DFW and Beijing. With the addition of this service, American will offer 11 routes between the U.S. and Asia. Customers may begin booking flights on the new route this Saturday, Jan. 24.

"The Asia-Pacific region is a key market for American and we would like to thank the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and the U.S. Department of Transportation for granting us the authority to operate this very important service," said Andrew Nocella, American's chief marketing officer. "This new route gives our customers direct access between these two key business markets for the first time and will also provide customers hundreds of connecting opportunities to destinations worldwide."

Through American's extensive network from Dallas/Fort Worth, customers traveling from Beijing will now have one-stop access to nearly 200 additional destinations throughout North, Central and South America. American offers more service to Latin America than any other U.S. airline.

Daily DFW-PEK Service Schedule (all times local):

AA 89
Departs DFW at 10:40 a.m.
Arrives at PEK at 2:15 p.m. the following day

AA 88
Departs PEK at 4:25 p.m.
Arrives at DFW at 5 p.m.

The new flight from DFW will complement American's existing service from Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to Beijing. With the addition of Beijing, American will offer nonstop service from Dallas/Fort Worth to five key markets in Asia – Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo.

American will operate its service between DFW and Beijing with a Boeing 777-200 aircraft. The airline is retrofitting all 47 of its 777-200s to refresh the cabins and enhance the premium experience on international flights. The retrofitted 777-200 features a Business Class product designed especially for American's customers, with a fully lie-flat seat, direct aisle access and a private flying experience. The plane has a modern interior – including a walk-up bar – with unique lighting, a dramatic archway and a spacious look. It also has Main Cabin Extra and all Main Cabin seats have in-seat entertainment systems.