SAN FRANCISCO- Chicago-based United Airlines (UA) has revealed its plans to reinstate daily flights between San Francisco (SFO) and Beijing (PEK) starting this November.
Additionally, the airline will augment its services to Shanghai (PVG) with daily flights from San Francisco, set to commence on October 1, 2023.
United San Francisco to China Flights
These enhancements to United’s Asia Pacific flight schedule have been made possible through an agreement between the U.S. and Chinese governments to increase air travel between the two nations.
Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances, expressed gratitude for this positive development in U.S.-China passenger air services.
“This announcement is good news for United customers because we believe that a daily flight to Beijing and a daily flight to Shanghai from San Francisco is consistent with the demand we see in the market right now – especially since our ability to serve China nonstop from our mid-continent hubs or the East Coast is severely limited by Russian overflight restrictions.”
Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning and Alliances
Flights to Shanghai are already open for booking on United’s website and app, while the updated schedule for Beijing flights will be available in the coming week.*
America China Doubles Weekly Flights
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) revealed its intention to augment the allowance for Chinese passenger flights bound for the U.S.
As of September 1, the permitted weekly round-trip flights will surge to 18, and this number will further escalate to 24 per week beginning October 29. This marks a significant increase from the existing limit of 12 weekly round-trip flights.
Despite their frequent disputes, this agreement between Beijing and Washington follows China’s recent decision to ease pandemic-related limitations on group tours for multiple countries, including significant markets like the U.S., Japan, South Korea, and Australia.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) explained that the initial batch of flights had been greenlit for commencement on September 1, aligning with the projected rise in demand coinciding with the beginning of the academic year.
Although the approval will result in 24 weekly flights, it is important to note that this number remains a small fraction compared to the more than 150 round-trip flights each side enjoyed before the imposition of restrictions in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Feature Image: Athul Suresh ( ALPHA SIERRA ) (@an_airsideian) • Instagram photos and videos
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