Washington – United Airlines won tentative approval Tuesday to operate the first nonstop daily flight between Washington and Beijing, a 14-hour trip that links the countries’ capitals as their economies become more intertwined.
The Department of Transportation’s final approval would give UAL Corp.’s United a route coveted by executives and government officials and potentially worth $200 million a year.
Washington-based fliers who regularly travel to Beijing welcomed the news.
“It means that I probably save two to three hours in my flight,” said Richard Bush, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. “Anything that gets you into the hotel ahead of the evening rush hour (in Beijing) is great.”
United did not immediately say how much it would charge for the flight. Existing fares for travel between Washington and Beijing start at under $1,000 and can top $15,000.
If it wins final approval from the government, the Elk Grove Village, Ill.- based airline can begin nonstop service between Washington Dulles International Airport and Beijing’s China Peking Capital Airport on March 25.
“It’s overdue,” said James Millward, an associate professor of Chinese history at Georgetown University. “It shortens the time and shortens the fatigue that is part of international travel.”
United beat out AMR Corp.’s American Airlines, which sought to fly between Dallas/Fort Worth and Beijing; Continental Airlines, which applied for service between Newark, N.J., and Shanghai; and Northwest Airlines, which applied for Detroit-Shanghai service.
The transportation agency evaluates U.S. airline proposals for new U.S.-China service as part of a 2004 agreement to phase in 195 new weekly flights.
