Article from BTNews 14 NOVEMBER 2016
American wins Beijing route
A tussle between American Airlines and Delta for rights to operate the important route between Los Angeles and Beijing was won by American on Friday in a US Department of Transportation ruling.
The US is anxious to increase competition to the Chinese capital from the US west coast and American will be the third carrier to fly it. Delta has a Seattle – Beijing flight and United operates a San Francisco – Beijing service.
American has daily flights to Beijing through Chicago and Dallas, but Reuters reported that the carrier’s case to the DoT was based on Delta having a “significant advantage” in the market between China and the US because of its partnerships with China Eastern Air and China Southern Air.
According to American’s evidence, these alliances fly more than twice the number of passengers flown by the American Airlines/Hainan Airlines grouping.
The DoT decision is tentative and open to objections until 29 November, after which it will review any objections and make a final ruling. If all goes as expected, American says it expects to launch flights early next year.
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