For the past couple of months, Asian countries have been loosening COVID restrictions. Though travel to Asia is becoming more accessible by government standards, American carriers are not making it easier for passengers to connect to Asia from the US. Trade Association Airlines for America has asked the Department of Transportation (DOT) to extend slot relief to American airlines that has been in place since the beginning of the COVID pandemic in March 2020.

Asking for an extension

According to the letter sent to the DOT, American carriers do not believe that travel demand is rebounding to Asia, but rather, that demand in Asian markets remains "severely depressed." Ten days ago, China dropped its COVID travel restrictions after almost three years of heavily restricting entry and exit. Chinese airlines were in a prime position to resume long-haul international routes, keeping most widebodies in service and not laying off staff.

United States airlines are hesitant about returning to China. For one, there is the belief that there is insufficient demand to schedule flights. Additionally, COVID-19 is still a severe problem in China, and many countries require passengers from China to be tested before travel. If airlines do not maintain at least 80% of flights to and from slot-restricted airports, they risk losing those slots. As a result, the A4A has asked the DOT to extend the slot waivers for Chinese routes and Tokyo Haneda (HND) until October 29.

Adding to its reasons for requesting the slot waivers, the A4A stated that ticket sales on routes connecting China and the United States were down by 88% in December 2022 compared to pre-pandemic numbers. Demand in Japan is also low.

“While Japan is starting to reopen to international travel and, as a result, the US-Tokyo demand environment is improving, the pace of the rebound has been sluggish and forward-looking demand remains choppy.”

Last week, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian stated that Delta would not rush to return to China.

“We’re not going to get ahead of ourselves in terms of capacity to China. We're going to be very mindful to see how demand warrants and how this opens up. But that's the big question mark, I think, in terms of international demand for 2023 that we don't know yet.”

What airlines are connecting China and the US?

According to airline schedule data from Cirium, only Chinese airlines will connect the two countries in January and February. In January, Air China, China Southern Airlines, Xiamen Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines have 35 flights to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles International Airport. In February, Sichuan Airlines will join the mix with an LAX-Chengdu (CTU) route, but the total number of flights between countries will decrease to 34.

Currently, the three major American carriers have flights to China beginning in March. American Airlines will begin flights from Dallas Fort-Worth International Airport to Shanghai (PVG). Delta Air Lines will fly to Shanghai from Detroit (DTW) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. Chicago-based United Airlines will fly to Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu from its hubs at Newark Liberty International Airport, LAX, Washington-Dulles International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, and San Francisco International Airport. In March, there are 88 scheduled flights from the US to China from the three American carriers.

Source: Routes Online