Good news for travelers between China and the United States. From March 31, there will be a significant increase in the number of weekly round-trip flights.
USDT Announcement, February 26th. Screenshot by That’s
On February 26, the US Department of Transportation made a new announcement allowing Chinese airlines to operate up to 50 direct passenger flights between China and the US each week.
This represents an increase from the current limit of 35 flights per week for both Chinese and US airlines, according to a bilateral agreement reached in November 2023.
read more: Travel rumors: Direct flights between China and the US are on the rise
According to an announcement from the US Department of Transportation, the measure is seen as an important step to normalize air travel between China and the US for the 2024 summer season, and the US looks forward to further cooperation with China. are doing.
Under the principle of reciprocity, U.S. airlines will also be allowed to operate up to 50 round-trip passenger flights per week between the two countries, for a total of 100 flights.
Currently, there are 66 weekly flights between China and the United States, of which 35 are operated by Chinese airlines and 31 by American airlines.
With a focus on maximizing profitability and taking into account flight restrictions in Russian airspace, most of the increases are expected to be in U.S. West Coast cities such as Los Angeles and San Francisco.
As the number of flights between China and the U.S. increases, ticket prices on previously expensive routes are starting to fall, especially in cities like Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Despite the increase, the number of flights between China and the United States is expected to remain well below pre-pandemic levels of about 300 flights a week.
The speed of recovery is also slower than in European countries. According to global air flight data, as of the beginning of this year, the recovery rate of flights between China and the United States was only 20.1%, while the recovery rate between China and Europe had already reached 84.1%.
Meanwhile, the number of flights between China and the UK, the Middle East and other destinations exceeded pre-pandemic levels.
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[Cover image via Billy Jiang/That’s]
