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American Airlines Scramble to Fly to China
Three US airlines, Delta, American and United Parcel Service (UPS), are now in a fierce rivalry for flight authorization to China, as is reported by Chinadaily.
An agreement between aviation departments of the two countries, which was clinched during Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji's visit to US in April 1999, said that the United States and China could add one more flight line to each other. Also, the existing flights between the two countries would be doubled.
Ever since the deal was signed, the above three US airlines have elbowed each other for the flight rights.
Delta Airlines, the third largest in US, urges the line to be opened between the New York Kennedy International Airport and Beijing's Capital International Airport.
Delta backs up its argument saying New York is an internationally-renowned metropolitan, whose position far more important than the central city of Chicago, and New York does not have a direct air route to China yet. New York mayor and some US Senators have vowed to support Delta's bid.
However, the No 2 largest American Airlines argues that Chicago will offer a shorter voyage and is more convenient for passengers. Chicago mayor Richard Daley, who is also younger brother of ex-secretary of commerce William Daley, is on its side.
While the two airlines are at locks, cargo transporter UPS joined in the fray crying out the urgent need to open a freight line to China's mainland. Now, the Federal Express has started freight flights to China.
UPS argues that with China's impending entry into the World Trade Organization, bilateral trade volume between the two countries will bloat. The president of UPS even puts grabbing the direct air route to China on top of his work agenda.
At present, the US Northwest Airlines has opened regular flights between Detroit, Los Angeles, San Francisco and China's Beijing and Shanghai; and the US largest aireline, the United Airlines, has opened flights among San Francisco, Tokyo and Shanghai.
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