Details of Los Angeles to Beijing flights have already been decided by the Department of Transportation. American Airlines and Delta Airlines have been competing for quite some time to get the route for LA to Beijing. Furthermore, the DOT sided with American Airlines to be able to establish the remaining slots available for routes to China as agreed upon the U.S.-China Air Transport Agreement.
The rivalry of American Airlines and Delta Airlines regarding this matter began March this year. Delta was first to apply for the daily routes to China then American Airlines followed two weeks later. According to the reports of Travel News and Dallas News, DOT chose to grant American Airlines the route to China because Delta Airlines already offers West Coast to Beijing routes while the former does not. American Airlines also said that through giving them the route, it would increase competition and allow customers to have more options to choose from. As read in the decision of the DOT, "The department tentatively finds that the potential benefits of selecting American, and thereby adding a third U.S. competitor to the West Coast- Beijing market, outweigh the benefits that would be achieved through the selection of Delta."
As stated by Matt Miller, American Airlines' spokesperson, "We're very pleased the department of transportation has tentatively awarded American the necessary U.S - China frequencies to serve Beijing from our West Coast gateway at Los Angeles International Airport." He also added: "This new service further underscores American's commitment to providing customers with a world-class global network from our Los Angeles hub." As of now, American Airlines operates 35 flights to China each week while Delta Airlines provides 42 flights each week. The response of interested parties to this decision by the DOT have the deadline of November 29.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
