Xiamen Air launched their first flight to the US last month, between Shenzhen and Seattle. The airline has lofty expansion plans for North America, and in August announced that they’d be launching flights between New York and Fuzhou as of February 2017.
Well, Xiamen Air has just filed with the DOT to request route authority for their third North American route. Xiamen Air wants to fly between Los Angeles and Xiamen as of June 2017. The airline wants to launch 3x weekly flights between the two cities using one of their Boeing 787 aircraft (they have six Boeing 787-8 aircraft in their fleet already, and will soon take delivery of six Boeing 787-9 aircraft).
I recently flew Xiamen Air between Seattle and Shenzhen — I flew the outbound in business class and the return in first class. I’m in the process of writing a full review, though I can confidently say that Xiamen Air is one of China’s best airlines, along with Hainan. So it’s very exciting to see them expanding their North American footprint further.
Xiamen Air business class
Xiamen Air has some fantastic business class fares between Seattle and Shenzhen, so here’s to hoping they have similarly good fares when they begin selling seats on their flight between Los Angeles and Xiamen.
Keep in mind that Xiamen Air is in SkyTeam, so they’re also a great airline for earning and redeeming SkyTeam miles. Furthermore, the airline has a great paid upgrade program, where day of departure you can upgrade from economy to business, business to first, or even from economy to first.
Xiamen Air first class
If this route comes to fruition, we’ll have the following nonstop routes between Los Angeles and mainland China:
Lucky Air also wants to start flights between Kunming and Los Angeles before the end of the year, though the schedule on that hasn’t yet been formalized.
Bottom line
It’s so cool to see the speed at which Chinese carriers are expanding to the US. I’m especially excited to see Xiamen Air add new flights, given their excellent service. I’ll post again once this flight becomes bookable, assuming there are some good business class fares (which I imagine there will be).
Are you excited to see Xiamen Air launch flights between Los Angeles and Xiamen?
(Tip of the hat to LAXintl)
Xiamen is also launching a Fuzhou to JFK route on February 15, 2017. Fuzhou is the capital and largest city in the Fujian province.
@Doug Danger - You are hilarious!!
I can confidently say that Cathay Pacific of Hong Kong, China is one of China's best airlines, along with EVA Air of Taiwan, China. Xiamen Air and Hainan tie for being a distant 3rd. Xiamen is "merely" one of Mainland China's best airlines, along with Hainan.
Why do Amex (and all other credit cards mentioned in this blog) and AA (and all other airlines mentioned here), along with American readers and bloggers (including Lucky Ben...
I can confidently say that Cathay Pacific of Hong Kong, China is one of China's best airlines, along with EVA Air of Taiwan, China. Xiamen Air and Hainan tie for being a distant 3rd. Xiamen is "merely" one of Mainland China's best airlines, along with Hainan.
Why do Amex (and all other credit cards mentioned in this blog) and AA (and all other airlines mentioned here), along with American readers and bloggers (including Lucky Ben himself!) never get tired of using phrases like "continental United States", "contiguous United States", "lower 48 states". Won't it be more convenient, more efficient, less troublesome and less tiresome to simply say: "Hawaii and the United States", or "Alaska and the United States"? Why be such a stickler for accuracy and such a perfectionist? Gotta be less uptight and chill it.... when it comes to USA and Guam etc
I wonder why the Xiamen airline just recently file DOT to request route authority for their third North American route for LAX to Xiamen given that the airline main hub is Xiamen. Anyone can help me ? Thanks
@Justin @betterbub:
Doug Danger really isn't a gay man (or a journalist). He is a satirical troll trying to get a response from everyone.
Yay for more routes directly to mainland China except....isn't this one of the reasons why CX is doing so poorly in revenue this year? I mean, certainly more competition is more welcome but at the same time I can't help but think that CX will start cost cutting and revenue making measures to remain competitive that people here will bemoan the loss of old perks that they had on CX.
@Doug Danger
Give me a break. There are plenty of gay people (myself included) in positions of authority who do not go around flaunting their sexuality and letting it define who they are. Do us all a favor and stop calling yourself a leader of a community you only recently became a part of; being a journalist does not give you that title.
@Tiffany and Lucky, I honestly believe you need to moderate these comments. At least set some sort of dislike button which hides these nasty comments.
@Doug Danger
k.
Benjamin: I've got a quick question, given that you have flown so many different oriental airlines, which country have women with the squintiest eyes? I'm just wondering and I'll hang up to hear your response. Love your blog and this is Bobbie from the Western Estates Homeowners Association.
Bubba, as a gay man and a gay journalist, I really don't expect you to understand where we came from and where we stand. I mean, granted, I only recently turned gay and become part of the community only a few months ago, I can still speak with the queer authority that you will never, ever have. And I really speak for the community as a leader because I'm a respected gay man and gay journalist. So don't throw around no law man deal with me because I am the gay law.
@Doug Danger
I don't think Lucky represents the gay community at all. Sure, he happens to run a popular blog and be gay, but that doesn't mean his word is law.
As a gay man and a gay journalist, I refuse to travel to an oppressive, racist country like China. I have flown plenty of first class before and I'll tell you one thing, these pictures do not impress me. And speaking as a gay man and a gay journalist, I feel that you're really not representing us gays well because your tastes are so poor. Just my two cents.
Wait .... 2-2-2 J qualifies as "one of China’s best airlines" ?
@ henry LAX -- The soft product is great, hard product isn't. Same is true of Hainan. While I usually say business class is all about the hard product, I'll take Xiamen Air's excellent service and food over China Eastern's smoky cabins, bad food, and reverse herringbone product.
Awesome we need more fifth freedom routes for Chinese airlines between USA and rest of the world, so the prices gouging by Amerucan airlines will reduce.
American food sucks!!