FORT WORTH, Texas, Sept. 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- American Airlines
has filed an application with the U.S. Department of Transportation
for the right to operate new service from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)
to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) beginning next
summer. Once approved, the new route will be the first nonstop
flight connecting Beijing and
Dallas/Fort Worth.
"By adding this new Beijing
service, American will achieve a significant milestone in the
development of its Asian network by offering nonstop service from
Dallas/Fort Worth to five key
markets in Asia – Beijing, Hong
Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo," said Andrew
Nocella, chief marketing officer – American Airlines. "The
pending addition of Beijing and
recent additions of Shanghai and
Hong Kong elevate Dallas/Fort Worth to one of the primary
connecting hubs between Asia and
destinations within the U.S. as well as Mexico, Central and South America."
The new service between Dallas/Fort
Worth and Beijing will be
operated with a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft. American is retrofitting
its entire fleet of 777-200ERs to include fully lie-flat Business
Class seats, all with aisle access; new seats in the Main Cabin;
in-seat entertainment; and international Wi-Fi capability. The new
fully lie-flat Business Class seats on American's 777-200ERs offer
customers the largest space of any 777 Business Class seat offered
by any U.S. carrier.
The new flight from DFW will also complement American's existing
service from Chicago to
Beijing and will be American's
11th route between the U.S. and Asia. Since 2013, American has added new
nonstop flights connecting Hong
Kong, Seoul and
Shanghai to DFW, reinforcing
the airline's commitment to expanding and strengthening its
presence in the Asia-Pacific
region.
"Today's news is great for Dallas/Fort
Worth area residents who will have direct access to
China's capital city for the first
time," said Fort Worth Mayor
Betsy Price. "This new route will
connect our great Metroplex to a very important destination in
Asia and will play a key role in
further strengthening ties between our region and Asia."
"The trans-Pacific market is critical for business across the
state of Texas and this new
service is a direct conduit to open new opportunities for trade and
tourism in our region," said Dallas Mayor Mike
Rawlings. "This new route represents a huge opportunity for
significant economic impact for our region by connecting DFW
directly to Beijing."
"We are thrilled with today's news and this new route connecting
Dallas/Fort Worth to Beijing is a huge milestone for the region and
for DFW Airport," said
Sean Donohue, CEO of DFW
International Airport. "With this new route, American will offer
travelers six daily flights to Asia from DFW
Airport, which is American's prime point of entry for Asian
customers into the United States
and Latin America."
"This new route will provide our region with critical nonstop
access to one of the most populous cities in the world," said Mr.
Li Qiangmin – Consul General of
the People's Republic of China in
Houston. "This expansion of
service to China is tremendously
important, and will not only benefit business relations and
economic growth in both countries, but also help bring closer
Chinese people and American people, and eventually be conducive to
the China-U.S. cooperative relations."
This route will be operated as part of American's joint business
agreement with fellow oneworld® alliance member
Japan Airlines. Through oneworld member airlines and their
affiliates, American's customers have access to nearly 150
destinations within Asia.
About American Airlines Group
American Airlines Group (NASDAQ: AAL) is the holding company for
American Airlines and US Airways. Together with wholly owned and
third-party regional carriers operating as American Eagle and US
Airways Express, the airlines operate an average of nearly 6,700
flights per day to 339 destinations in 54 countries from its hubs
in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort
Worth, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix and Washington, D.C. The American Airlines
AAdvantage and US Airways Dividend Miles programs allow members to
earn miles for travel, vacation packages, car rentals, hotel stays
and everyday purchases. Members of both programs can redeem miles
for tickets as well as upgrades to First Class and Business Class.
In addition, AAdvantage members can redeem miles for vacation
packages, car rentals, hotel stays and retail products. American is
a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members and
members-elect serve nearly 1,000 destinations with 14,250 daily
flights to 150 countries. Connect with American on Twitter
@AmericanAir and Facebook.com/AmericanAirlines and follow US
Airways on Twitter @USAirways.
Logo -
http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130208/DA56847LOGO
SOURCE American Airlines