Beijing, Seattle Air Link on the Way
China's Hainan Airlines has applied to operate a non-stop flight between Beijing and Seattle in the United States starting next June. Sources with the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) confirmed the news on Saturday.After the application is approved, the airlines will become the fourth Chinese carrier for flights between China and the US. The other three are Air China, China Eastern Airlines and China Southern Airlines. (Click title of this news for for photos and full report.)

Airlines Change Ticket Refund Policy
July 10, 2007 - Chinese airline passengers may get more money back when they cancel domestic flight tickets as some carriers adopted new service fees.The fee for returning airline tickets is now determined by discounts rather than when the ticket is returned, said operators on customer service lines with China Eastern Airlines and Air China. Both carriers adopted the new standard on July 1. (Click for full report.)

Airlines to Launch Direct Vancouver-Beijing Flight in July
Xinhua News, April 2, 2007 - Air Canada, Canada's flagship airline, will operate a second daily direct flight between Beijing and Vancouver from July 2 to October 1 this year. The company will run 211-seat Boeing 767-300 aircraft to meet increasing passenger demand over the summer tourist peak. The carrier will also increase the number of flights between Shanghai and Toronto from two to three times a week from April 13 to June 30, and seven times a week from July 1 before returning to three a week in winter.

Beijing-Washington non-stop flights start
China Daily, Mar. 30, 2007 - The maiden non-stop flight from Washington DC to Beijing arrived at the capital's airport at 1:55 pm yesterday after a 14-hour flight. Washington is now the 29th capital city directly linked to Beijing thanks to the United Airlines flight. (Click for full report.)

Lufthansa to Fly More Fights to Shanghai
Shanghai Daily, Mar. 26, 2007 - Lufthansa German Airlines announced yesterday that it will fly to Shanghai from Germany three times daily with the introduction of its 2007 summer timetable, which starts from Monday. The carrier will raise its flights on the Shanghai-Frankfurt route by seven flights per week, creating a double daily service on this route. Lufthansa also operates daily flights between Shanghai and Munich.

Airlines to Add Singapore-Shanghai Flights
Shanghai Daily Jan. 22, 2007 - Singapore Airlines will add two direct flights between Singapore and Shanghai starting on March 25, further strengthening its eastern China network, the airline said yesterday. With the new flights, the capacity on the route will increase 11 percent to 31 flights a week. SIA will thus operate a total of 65 flights from Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou and Nanjing to Singapore.

Delta Eyes Atlanta, Shanghai Flight
Shanghai Daily Jan. 22, 2007 - Delta Air Lines Inc, the largest American airline without service to China, has applied to fly non-stop between Atlanta and Shanghai in 2008. The carrier said it has submitted the proposal to the US Department of Transportation, which will award the new flights early next year. AMR Corp's American Airlines also plans to bid for more China flying, spokesman Tim Wagner said. A China route will give Atlanta-based Delta access to the world's fastest-growing major economy. Delta is recalling employees, ordering new regional jets and expanding overseas as it reorganizes and works to fight off US Airways Group Inc's US$10.2 billion hostile takeover bid.

Direct Flight from Beijing to Saipan Launched

CRIENGLISH.com, Dec.  21, 2006 - Air China on Sunday launched a direct flight between the Chinese capital of Beijing and tourist hotspot Saipan, located in the Northern Mariana Islands. The carrier will fly from Beijing twice a week on Thursdays and Sundays. The non-stop flight takes only six hours, three hours shorter than previous flights. In the past, travelers had to transfer in Shanghai or South Korea. Statistics show the number of Chinese travelers to Saipan is increasing at a steady rate of 15 percent every year. It is perceived that the new flight will help boost the local tourism industry during the upcoming Spring Festival, which falls in mid-February next year.

China Southern Airlines to start Beijing-Lagos flight via Dubai
Gulfnews.com - Dec. 19, 2006 - China Southern Airlines, the largest Chinese carrier, said yesterday it would launch thrice-weekly service from Beijing to Lagos, Nigeria, via Dubai. Beginning December 30, the airline will fly from Beijing to Lagos Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays using a new Airbus A330 with a two-class configuration of 24 in business and 240 in economy. (Click for full report.)

Air China to Launch Flight to South America

Air China will launch its first flight to Sao Paulo of Brazil via Madrid at 1:00 a.m. Sunday morning, marking the debut flight connecting China with South America. The Boeing 767-300 aircraft will be operating on the route. On Thursday and Sunday, the newly-launched flight will fly 12 hours and 45 minutes from Beijing to Madrid, then after 1.5 hours of stopover, it will reach Sao Paulo in 11 hours and 50 minutes. In recent years, the number of passengers between China and South America has been increasing. There were 53,000 passengers flying from China to Brazil last year, up 24 percent compared with the previous year.

Direct Flights Link Shanghai and New York

Xinhua News Agency Dec. 8, 2006 - China's Eastern Airlines will begin direct flights from Shanghai to New York on Friday. The maiden flight, MU587, will take off at 6:30 p.m. from Pudong Airport in Shanghai and land at 7:45 p.m. local time in New York. The airline will operate four direct flights from Shanghai to New York weekly and flights will be served by an Airbus 340-600 with a capacity of 400 passengers. According to the ticket sales, 90 percent of the tickets for the first flight have been bought. The new route will remove the need to travel via the cities of Tokyo, Seoul or Beijing flights. Shanghai is the second Chinese city after Beijing to offer direct flights to New York.

Air China to Launch Direct Beijing-New Delhi Flights
Xinhua News Agency Oct. 18, 2006 - Air China, the country's national carrier, will launch direct Beijing-New Delhi flights on Oct. 30. Air China said it will operate three flights from Beijing to New Delhi each week, using Boeing 767-200 aircraft. Flights will be scheduled on Monday, Wednesday and Saturday. The national carrier will launch a round-trip sales promotion through November. Return tickets will be priced at 3,880 yuan (US$485 U.S.).

Flight to Link Sanya, Saint Petersburg

Xinhua News, October 31, 2006 - Transaero Airlines, a Russian airline, on Monday launched maiden flights between Saint Petersburg, Russia's second city, and Sanya, in China's island resort province of Hainan. Flights are scheduled for every other Monday, leaving Saint Petersburg at 4:15 a.m. (Beijing Time) and arriving in Sanya at 3:05 p.m. the same day. It will depart Sanya at 5:05 p.m.The company already operates flights between Moscow and Sanya every Wednesday and Sunday, and plans to introduce a Moscow-Sanya-Guangzhou flight every Friday, according to Sanya Phoenix International Airport.  

China Southern to Open Flights Between Changsha, Seoul
Xinhua Sep. 14, 2006 - China Southern Airlines, one of the country's largest airways, will launch regular flights between the central city of Changsha and Seoul starting October, a company executive said Wednesday. The new service will offer five return flights a week on Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays between Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province and Seoul of the Republic of Korea, said Xu Xiaolin, director of the market office of the Hunan branch of China Southern. China Southern plans to use Airbus 320 plane for the fights, with the flight number CZ3065/6.

 Beijing-Dubai Air Route Opens in September

CRIENGLISH.com August 25, 2006 - Emirates, the Dubai-based international airline of the United Arab Emirates, announced in Shanghai recently it will begin daily flights from Beijing to Dubai starting September 1. It will provide a series of favorable services to promote this new air route. The Beijing-Dubai flight will be the second direct link to the Chinese mainland with the United Arab Emirates after a Shanghai-Dubai flight started operation about two and a half years ago. According to Emirates, passengers who will take this route to Dubai from September 1 to November 30 can buy their tickets for RMB 4500 for a round-trip flight (taxes and extra charge on fuel are excluded) before September 30. First-class passengers from Beijing will be awarded free accommodation for 3 nights at the luxurious Shangri-La Hotel in Dubai. Those in business class can stay for two nights free.

E-ticket Invoice will Increase Online Sales
China Daily Apr. 14, 2006 - China's civil aviation authorities announced yesterday that invoices for payment and reimbursement of e-tickets will be trialed from June 1. For a long time e-ticket sales have been hindered in China because there were no invoices available for reimbursement. Official statistics show only 20 per cent of air tickets are sold in the form of e-tickets in China. To make air ticket purchasing more convenient for Chinese passengers and to cut costs, CAAC decided to support the development of e-tickets in the industry. (Click for full report.)

New Air Route to Cut Flying Time to Europe

China Daily, Apr. 12, 2006 - China will open a new air route for international traffic tomorrow, a move that could reduce flight times between China and Europe by an average of 30 minutes and save airlines US$30 million in fuel cost every year. (Click for full report.)

Huangshan Opens Airlines to ROK to Attract Tourists
Xinhua News, Mar. 24, 2006 - People in the Republic of Korea (ROK) will be able to come by non-stop flights to Huangshan, a popular scenic city in east China famous for its imposing Huangshan Mountain, as the city is scheduled to open airlines to the country this summer. It will be the first time for Huangshan airport to receive airlines from foreign countries.

China Southern Airlines to Open 3 Int'l Routes

Xinhua News, Mar. 21, 2006 - China Southern Airlines will launch three international routes on March 26 to link Shenyang, capital of northeast China's

Liaoning Province, with other foreign cities, according to sources with the company. The three routes are Shenyang-Guangzhou-Sydney, Shenyang-Guangzhou-Melbourne and Shenyang-Guangzhou-Singapore.  An official with the airlines said that the opening of the routes will further improve the international flight network in Northeast China, as well as providing more options for residents in Liaoning.  To better serve the "2006 World Horticulture Exposition" which will be staged in Shenyang, Southern Airlines plans to add more domestic flights linking Shenyang and other tourist cities.

 American Airlines will launch non-stop flight to China
Xinhua News, Feb. 28, 2006 - American Airlines, the world's largest airline company, will begin from early April this year to launch daily nonstop service to China, one of the world's fastest growing aviation markets. The first flight, AA289, will depart Chicago O'Hare International Airport at 11:05 a.m. on April 2 and arrive at Shanghai Pudong International Airport at 2:15 p.m. on April 3. The return flight of this route, AA288, will depart Shanghai at 4:25 p.m on April 3 and arrive in Chicago at 5:00 p.m. on the same date. (Click for full report)
 

China raises air crash compensation limit
China Daily, Mar. 1, 2006 - Families of air crash victims can now be compensated up to 400,000 yuan (US$48,000) each from airlines, according to a new regulation China's aviation authority issued yesterday. This upper limit is almost double the amount that victims' families received from the November 2004 air disaster when 54 people died in Baotou of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. China Eastern Airline agreed to pay each victim's family 211,000 yuan (US$25,400). Scheduled to take effect on March 28, the new regulation states that passengers on domestic flights can get up to US$48,000 according to the actual bodily injury, in addition to compensation from insurance companies. (Click for full report)
 

Emirates Airlines to Open Beijing-Dubai Flights
Xinhua News Feb. 20, 2006 - The United Arab Emirates Airlines will launch daily

non-stop flights between Beijing and Dubai in the next half year, the company's regional manager has said. The company hopes that more Chinese travelers will turn to Emirates Airlines in the future, according to Edwin Lau, Regional Manager for Greater China and North East Asia for the Dubai-based airlines. Emirates Airlines first launched a weekly cargo flight between Dubai and Shanghai on Sept. 15, 2002. Now, the number of cargo flights have reached six a week.

China Extends Jet Fuel Surcharge

Xinhua News, Feb. 18, 2006 -- China will extend the jet fuel surcharge, the

National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country's economic watchdog, announced Friday. The renewal has no time limit and the surcharge will remain unchanged at 20-40 yuan per passenger on domestic routes, depending on distance, the NDRC said. China extended the surcharge last November due to the rocketing international oil prices.

Dragonair to Launch HK-Shenyang Direct Services

Xinhua News, Feb. 8, 2006 - Dragonair is to launch direct services between Hong

Kong and Shenyang, the capital of Liaoning Province in northeast China, as of March 30. Dragonair is a Hong Kong-based airline. Its passenger network covers 31 destinations across the Asia-Pacific region.

China to Add 8,400 Flights Around Spring Festival

Xinhua News, Jan. 11, 2006 - China's civil aviation regulator has given the green light for  eight airlines to add a combined 8,400 flights around the Spring Festival, China's lunar New Year, in an effort to relieve expected huge passenger flow. The General Administration of Civil Aviation of China (CAAC) predicted that the Chinese would make more than 2 billion trips during that Spring Festival, which falls on Jan. 29 this year, andflights will be increased from Jan. 14 to Feb. 22. (Click for full report)

Non-stop Flights to Toronto Planned

Shanghai Daily Jan. 24, 2006 - Air Canada will launch non-stop flights between Toronto and Shanghai on June 16. The airline will operate three non-stop flights

per week between Toronto and Shanghai, complementing its Toronto-Beijing non-stop service, which began last June. With an elapsed time of 14 hours 45 minutes westbound and 13 hours 40 minutes eastbound, the new flight saves travelers three hours in each direction compared to flights that stop over in Vancouver. Shanghai-bound flights will depart Toronto at 10:15am on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday and arrive in Shanghai at 1pm the next day. Toronto-bound flights will leave Shanghai at 2:45pm on Monday, Thursday and Saturday and arrive in Toronto at 4:25pm the same day.

Shaanxi Adds 8 Int'l Air Routes

Xinhua News, Jan. 7, 2006 - Northwest China's Shaanxi Province on Friday started to operate eight more international air routes to eight cities in Europe, America and Asia. The air routes link the ancient Chinese capital with Paris,

London, Vancouver, Los Angeles, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and New Delhi and will be operated by the East China Airline, based in Shanghai. According to the aviation firm, all of the new air routes need to fly from Xi'an to Shanghai for a brief stop before heading for their destination cities. So far, Xi'an has opened a total of 25 international air routes, ranking as the country's fourth after Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. It is also the largest air traffic base in western China.

Sichuan plans nonstop flights to US, Europe
Xinhuanet, Dec. 29, 2005 - Southwest China's Sichuan Province, the home of a series of world-known tourist destinations, plans to open nonstop flights to the

United States and some European nations, including France, Germany, Britain and Russia, in the coming two years. The move will help attract more tourists from abroad to Sichuan,the provincial tourism bureau believed. By 2010, the province plans to annually receive 2 million visitors, the bureau said. To achieve the goal, the bureau will design better itineraries in partnership with its peers from Sichuan's neighboring provincesand regions. Sichuan boasts 89 tourist sites approved by the State Council or the provincial government. Four of them, namely Jiuzhaigou, Huanglong, Dujiang Weir and Mount Emei, are included in UNESCO's world natural and cultural heritage list.

China to Open Direct Air Route to Brazil

Xinhua News, Dec. 19, 2005 - China will open the country's first direct air route to South America, from Beijing to Sao Paulo of Brazil, next month. The route will be

operated through code-sharing cooperation by Air China and Varig, Brazilian's national carrier. Air China will fly from Beijing to Frankfurt, while Varig will fly from Frankfurt to Sao Paulo, the largest city in Brazil. The time of travel from Beijing to

Sao Paulo will be 27 hours, including transferring. The route has been approved by Chinese and Brazilian governments and is still waiting for approval from German, said Cesar Yu, China's country manager of Varig. He said China and Brazil are developing nations, with economic and trade cooperation much closer in recent years. Brazil also became the tourist destination nation for China. The new route will promote economic, cultural, tourist and sports exchanges between the two nations.

Air Fuel Surcharge Extended
China Internet Information Center Nov. 26, 2005 - Fuel surcharges imposed on domestic flights has been extended, according to a circular issued recently by the General Administration of Civil Aviation of China

(CAAC), the industry watchdog. The original deadline was December 31, 2005.Tickets for flights in 2006 issued before this new announcement was made are exempt. To address the issue of rising jet fuel prices, domestic carriers were allowed to introduce fuel surcharges on internal flights beginning August 1 until the end of the year. This was announced in a document jointly released by the CAAC and the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) at the end of July. An additional 20 yuan (US$2.46) will be charged to ticket prices for distances less than 800 kilometers, or 40 yuan (US$4.93) for distances 800 kilometers or more. (Click for full report)

Foreign Stewardesses Enlisted as Attraction
Xinhua News, Oct. 28, 2005 - Chinese airlines have enlisted more than 300 stewardesses from other countries to provide better service for foreign travelers. Air China, the national carrier, has sent a team to Germany for recruiting the first batch of German stewardesses. If everything goes on smoothly, the German stewardesses will serve customers in Beijing at the end of this year, Beijing Daily said on Thursday. Seventeen stewardesses from India arrived in Shanghai last week to join China Eastern Airlines. Statistics showed that some 330 foreign stewardesses now work for Chinese airlines. The foreign stewardesses are required to speak Chinese. It is reported that the income of foreign stewardesses doubles that of domestic stewardesses.