As I've explained before, China’s aviation policies are a bit odd. The country has a rule where only one Chinese airline can operate any individual longhaul route. Given the pace at which Chinese airlines are growing, this is causing many of them to scramble in order to launch routes before their competitors do. Hainan Airlines…
Continue reading: Hainan’s U.S. Expansion Continues — This Time Out Of Chongqing
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Is the award avaibility set to 2 ? Though is plenty but would not be suffice if traveling with family of 3 or more
After living in China for two years, I wouldn't risk flying with a connection in the country. The PLA controls the airspace in the country and will shut down routes without warning. Add in the trouble that comes when it rains and point to point is the best idea for China.
At this point, I think the Chinese carriers are shooting first and asking questions later. I wonder how much of a kickback the local government is giving to Hainan to start this route? The mentality of the PRC is you build it, they will come. Look at all these ghost towns that are prevalent all around China. They built it and no one is coming. I wonder if the aviation sector is taking the same approach? We launch a route and people will take it.
What happens to AA's lax to pek route, they did not start it at all. It is silly that they fight over delta and won, but did not start. lax to pek keeps being monopolized by air china.
That is pretty ridiculous that Hainan can essentially tie up an entire route by flying it twice a week. Looking forward to being able to fly to CKG nonstop, but a frequency of twice a week won't be very helpful.
@SG It's China's policy of one airline one route. The big 3 in China; MU, CZ, and CA all have the most desirable routes as they got into the game early. This doesn't apply to US carriers. That's why you see these other Chinese airlines starting new routes from secondary cities, and you're left scratching your head wondering, "where's the traffic coming from?"
@Tony These might be secondary cities, but they are secondary cities on a Chinese scale. Chongqing is over 10 million people. That's around 5 times the size of Houston, 3 Chicagos, or 2.5 Los Angeleses. These are massive cities, with lots of potential passengers.
Correct you for the third (or maybe the fourth) time, it's not "The country has a rule where only one Chinese airline can operate any individual longhaul route.", but "The country has a rule where only one Chinese airline can operate any individual longhaul Sino-US route." Stop making stupid mistakes dear Ben.