All-business class transatlantic carrier Maxjet joined legacy competitors this week in applying for service between the United States and China. The carrier yesterday filed with the U.S. Department of Transportation to serve Shanghai from Seattle beginning in 2009.
The U.S. and China this month officially signed a May agreement to expand air services between the two countries, doubling the number of daily direct departures to 23 by 2012
(BTN, June 11). DOT is accepting carrier applications for six flights to launch in the next two years-one apiece this year and next, and four in 2009-and all six legacy carriers this week filed with the DOT for route authority.
American Airlines is seeking service between Chicago and Beijing for 2009, when Continental Airlines hopes to launch Newark-Shanghai daily flights. Delta Air Lines has requested to commence daily nonstop service between its Atlanta hub and Shanghai this year, and a daily nonstop from Atlanta to Beijing in 2009. Northwest is seeking approval of Detroit-Shanghai service for this year and service between Detroit and "Shanghai and/or Beijing, effective March 25, 2009." United Air Lines is requesting a daily San Francisco-Guangzhou departure for next year and seeks to launch Los Angeles-Shanghai service and Washington, D.C.-Shanghai service in 2009. US Airways has applied for a Philadelphia-Shanghai route for next year as well as daily Philadelphia-Beijing service to commence in 2009.