Several passengers were injured after a flight encountered severe turbulence, according to a Federal Aviation Administration preliminary report.
30.08.2024 - 19:40 / skift.com / Delta Air Lines / United Airlines / Meghna Maharishi
United Airlines restored its Los Angeles to Shanghai nonstop service on Thursday, becoming the only U.S. carrier to fly the route.
The carrier first announced in March that it would relaunch its LAX-Shanghai route after scrapping the flights in 2020. Delta Air Lines discontinued its LAX to Shanghai service in May due to a lack of demand and capacity restrictions.
Currently, United also flies to Beijing and Shanghai from its hub at San Francisco International Airport. United and Shanghai-based China Eastern are the only two carriers offering nonstop flights to the Chinese city, according to schedules from Cirium Diio.
United’s latest route to China comes as many Western carriers have been scaling back their China service. The Chinese government imposed strict limits on access to its market since the pandemic.
Virgin Atlantic axed its London to Shanghai flights in July, citing “significant complexities and challenges.” The route became too costly due to the longer flight times, which have been caused by the closure of Russian airspace to U.S. and European airlines. As a result, flights to China have become longer and more expensive to customers, making them less appealing.
British Airways announced August 8 that it would halt flights to Beijing until October 25. However, the carrier said it would continue operating its routes to Shanghai and Hong Kong. Lufthansa also lowered its outlook for 2024 partly due to weaknesses in the Chinese market.
Australian carrier Qantas pulled out of Shanghai because of soft demand and a failed commercial partnership with China Eastern. Qantas CEO Cam Wallace told Skift in June that exiting China “was the right call.”
In the U.S., airlines have been lobbying the federal government to pause the expansion of international flights to China, citing “anti-competitive policies of the Chinese government.”
Pre-pandemic, airlines could operate up to 150 daily flights between the U.S. and China. But, at the start of the pandemic, both countries imposed limits on the number of flights as geopolitical tensions rose. Coupled with the restrictions on Russian airspace caused by the Ukraine-Russia war, U.S. carriers haven’t been able to compete with Chinese ones on routes to China.
Since then, U.S.-China flights have been slow to rebound. United has described the current environment as the “new normal,” according to Bloomberg.
However, Chinese carriers have been able to restore their international networks close to 2019 levels. According to Skift’s July Travel Health Index, non-Chinese carriers’ international seat capacity is down 42% compared to 2019 whereas Chinese carriers are down only 9%.
In particular, Chinese airlines have significantly expanded operations in Europe since
Several passengers were injured after a flight encountered severe turbulence, according to a Federal Aviation Administration preliminary report.
United Airlines raised concerns to the Department of Transportation about how an Alaska-Hawaiian merger could impact its relationship with Hawaiian Airlines.
Two passengers aboard a Juneyao Airlines flight from Guiyang in southwestern China to Shanghai on Saturday locked a crying toddler in an airplane bathroom.
Last Oct. 10, my wife, a friend and I arrived at Washington Dulles International Airport to fly to Paris on a trip we had originally planned for April but had to postpone. At the United Airlines check-in counter, agents told us our reservation had been canceled — by us! Even weirder, the same thing had happened three weeks earlier, when the airline sent us an email saying we had canceled our trip. That time, we called and insisted United reissue the reservation for the same price, which it did by giving us a travel voucher and instantly redeeming it. At the airport, though, we watched as supervisors got their supervisors involved, and we were eventually told that something about the voucher had raised questions about fraud. We missed our flight and bought last-minute tickets for that evening’s 11 p.m. United flight to Paris. Then flight was canceled, though this time for everyone. Given the day’s stress and frustration, we gave up on the trip, had dinner and went to the airport Marriott before heading home the next morning. We believe United owes us for the cost of the last-minute flight ($4,475), a portion of the earlier canceled flight ($3,099), the cost of our transportation, hotel and meals that day ($1,178) and the money we lost on nonrefundable plans in France ($2,007). Can you help?
Despite 481 orders from airlines around the world, Boeing can't sell US carriers on its new widebody jetliner.
United Airlines flight attendants voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike as tensions with management rise.
Flight Centre Travel Group reported financial results Wednesday, with executives expressing optimism about future growth despite some headwinds.
Spirit Airlines is launching a brand-new way of doing business with a whole set of updated fare classes, and is celebrating by giving away a pair of roundtrip flights to lucky winners and their guests.
Saving on flights to South America just got easier with deals from American Airlines to some of the most popular destinations across the continent.
Frontier Airlines unveiled 11 new routes across 15 airports that are scheduled to launch in October and November.
Alaska Airlines cleared a major hurdle this week with the Department of Justice and its intended merger with Hawaiian Airlines. Getting regulatory approval from the DOJ is a huge step.
Dozens of global carriers have secured more than 550 orders for Airbus' newest narrowbody plane, the Airbus A321XLR, since its 2019 launch.