BEIJING (AFP)--U.S. airlines are postponing or reducing services
to China as air travel slumps due to the global economic slowdown,
state media reported Monday.
Of the six nonstop China-U.S. services approved in 2007, only
Delta Air Lines Inc.'s (DAL) Atlanta-Shanghai route and Continental
Airlines Inc.'s (CAL) Newark-Shanghai route are in operation, the
China Daily said.
"All U.S. carriers serving China have experienced much less
favorable market conditions than were generally expected," said
Delta in its request to cut the number of weekly flights between
Atlanta and Shanghai, according to the report.
Northwest Airlines has delayed its Detroit-Shanghai service,
while American Airlines has put off its Chicago-Beijing service
until next year, it said.
United Airlines has also postponed the operation of its flight
between San Francisco and the southern city of Guangzhou, it
added.
The number of U.S. visitors to China fell by more than 15%
during the first quarter of 2009 from the same period last year,
while business-related travel plunged by more than a third, the
report said, citing official figures.