American Airlines Group Inc. plans to expand flying to Shanghai early next year, joining rivals in taking advantage of a US-China agreement to increase the number of flights allowed between the nations.
(Bloomberg) — American Airlines Group Inc. plans to expand flying to Shanghai early next year, joining rivals in taking advantage of a US-China agreement to increase the number of flights allowed between the nations.
American will offer daily service between Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International starting in January, up from four weekly flights currently, the carrier told Bloomberg News Wednesday in an emailed statement. The additional flights will appear for sale on American’s schedule starting this weekend.
The largest US carriers are capitalizing on a surge in international travel, countering soft domestic demand, as more countries relax pandemic-era restrictions. Travel to Asia has been slower to rebound than the European market.
“These additional frequencies reflect China finally returning to a more normalized international market,” said John Grant, chief data analyst for OAG, which provides global travel information. Flying to visit relatives and friends in the two countries will likely fuel more travel than corporate demand for at least the short term.
Read more: US-China Flights Approved to Double Under Government Agreement
American’s decision follows similar announcements by Delta Air Lines Inc. and United Airlines Holdings Inc. after government officials agreed to double the number of weekly flights between the US and China. Delta said Wednesday it aimed to offer 10 weekly flights later this year and expand further in 2024, while United revealed plans last week to increase flying in October and November.
The three US carriers currently split evenly 12 weekly flights between the two countries. That will increase to 18 a week as of Sept. 1 and to 24 on Oct. 29, the Transportation Department said last week. The agency didn’t respond to a request Wednesday for information on how the added flights would be allocated among the airlines. Six Chinese carriers also will split the same rising number of weekly flights to the US.
(Updates with data provider comment in fourth paragraph)
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