The world’s busiest airport now has a direct connection to the world’s fastest-growing economy.

Delta Air Lines has began its new nonstop service from Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport to Shanghai.

According to a study commissioned by Delta, the new daily flight from Atlanta to Shanghai, China’s booming business center, will add close to $400 million to the economy in the Southeast every year. It should also give a boost to Delta’s bottom line.

Lee Macenczak, Delta’s Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. said, ‘This year, more than 40% of all our revenue will come through international markets and that holds a big profit potential for us for the ongoing future.’

One word of warning.

No one as far as I know has ever transited Atlanta airport without getting lost. Sometimes the staffneed to ask for directions. If you do not know the airport when you are flying out leave lots of time. Even if you know the airport leave lots of time. It is airport’s like this that try men’s souls.
Source: 11HD News

US Airways has been awarded a license for a US-China air becoming the sixth US carrier to be granted the permit.

The Arizona-headquartered US Airways will be competing with American, Continental, Northwest, United and Delta Airlines.
And the competition will be tougher because the US Department of Transportation time also awarded additional US-China passenger flights to American Airlines, Continental Airlines and Northwest Airlines.

US Airways will fly between Philadelphia and Beijing, while American, Continental and Northwest each will use their new rights to add a daily flight to their existing US-China services.

American Airlines will begin a Chicago-Beijing service, while Continental will operate a new flight between Newark/New York and Shanghai, and Northwest will fly between Detroit and Shanghai.

This will all come into play relatively quickly and the number of daily flights between the United States and China will double over the next five years. The aim is to get to something like 23 passenger flights a day to China by 2012.

China is the fastest-growing aviation market in the world after passenger traffic hit 160 million in 2006, up 15% on the previous year.

CAAC estimates that passenger volumes will maintain double-digit growth up to 2010.
Source: People’s Daily Online

The US-China air-service agreement allows for one additional passenger flight by an airline of each country in 2007 and 2008, four in 2009, three in 2010, and two each in 2011 and 2012.

The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has announced the recipients. Six of the seven applicant airlines received new route authority, doubling air services between the United States and China by 2010.

Delta will begin its first service to China from Atlanta to Shanghai on March 30.
United, already with the most flights between the US and China, will, as reported, begin service between San Francisco and Guangzhou early next year.
Northwest Airlines and China Southern Airlines will offer daily nonstop flights in 2009 between Detroit and China.
China Southern Airlines, the nation’s largest carrier with hostess in our illustration, will begin daily, nonstop flights between Detroit and Beijing. Flights are expected to begin in March 2009.
Chinese carriers Hainan Airlines and Shanghai Airlines both plan to begin service to the US next year. Hainan has applied for service between Beijing and Seattle and Shanghai Airlines has applied to connect Shanghai to both Los Angeles and Seattle.

Note that Chinese airlines have yet to use all of their allotted frequencies. According to the agreement, Chinese airlines are currently allowed ten frequencies to the US but as of this month only have six scheduled flights.
Sources: Michigan Live and Asia Times

American airlines squeal like stuck pigs at apparently unfair competition from the European carriers and positively demand open access to China so that it will be a flat playing field. They claim some airlines are subsidized by the governments. They suggest that other countries are frightened of fair competition.

Oddly they never mention the anomaly of Chapter 11. And yet this is central to the way they operate. Four of the top seven U.S. airlines filed for Chapter 11 protection in the post-9/11 crisis.

With Chapter 11 you sort of enter bankruptcy. Sort of, because the airlines cannot be dunned for the money they owe but can still continue operating.

Then, when the situation improves, you seek approval to emerge from bankruptcy. Meanwhile, hiding behind court protection you have kept operating and seriously cut costs.

That this is blatantly unfair competition is well known but it keeps the American airlines flying.

Now Northwest will emerge from Chapter 11 where it ducked for shelter in late 2005 on the same day as Atlanta-based Delta. And, in an odd coincidence, Delta left the bankruptcy court three weeks ago.

Once a company emerges from court protection, its shares begin trading again.

‘They’re going to be in a very strong position,’ airline industry consultant Mike Boyd said. ‘They have a strong vision of what they want to do. If you’re going to bet on an airline, I’d bet on them.’ He notes that Northwest will be able to build its growth around a global hub in Detroit for access to China.

Understand these are the airlines of the United States who have been complaining bitterly about the no-fair policies of other countries, China being one.

It is like murdering your parents and then throwing yourself on the mercy of the court because you are an orphan.

In coming out of bankruptcy Northwest will be offering Chief Executive Doug Steenland $26.6 million in stock and options once the company emerges. It also gives the outgoing chairman, Gary Wilson, $2 million as well as medical and dental insurance for life and up to $75,000 a year to keep an office.

Soon they will be flying to China. Easy to spot. They are the ones with the hungry looking cabin crew.
Source: AjC