American Requests Authority to Serve Shanghai from Los Angeles

American Airlines has applied to the U.S. Department of Transportation to launch nonstop service from Los Angeles International Airport to Pudong International Airport in Shanghai, China on April 5, 2011.

“These new flights would be the only nonstops between Los Angeles and Shanghai operated by a U.S. airline,” says Will Ris, American Airlines’ senior vice president – government affairs. “Los Angeles-Shanghai is the largest U.S.-China market for air travel and we believe it is in the public’s interest to offer more air service between the two cities and to provide new connecting opportunities for passengers traveling to other points in the U.S. and China.”

“The proposed service also complements American’s existing flights between Chicago and both Shanghai and Beijing,” notes Kurt Stache, American’s vice president – international.

American would operate daily nonstop service on the route, using 247-seat Boeing 777-200ERs featuring 16 First Class, 37 Business Class and 194 Economy Class seats.

American Airlines operates most if not all of its transpacific services with Boeing 777-200ERs. The airline had 47 in service as of October 2010, with seven more on order

The carrier’s flights from Shanghai operate from Pudong’s Terminal 2, in close proximity to the airline’s oneworld partners, thus making passenger connections smoother and faster. In addition, American’s customers benefit from separate arrival and departure areas, as well as conveniently located ticket counters near vital access points such as Customs and Immigration that expedite the departure process. Pudong’s Terminal 2 also offers a wide array of services and amenities including dining and shopping options.

At Pudong, American’s premium-class customers have access to a lounge operated by oneworld member carriers Dragonair and Cathay Pacific Airways. The lounge seats 218 people and features computers, televisions and wireless Internet access. Also operating from Terminal 2 are oneworld partners British Airways, Qantas, and Finnair.

American Airlines, which also flies nonstop from Los Angeles to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport, began service from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to Shanghai in April 2006 and from O’Hare to Beijing in May 2010.

Together with sister regional airline American Eagle, American operates 123 daily flights to 31 destinations from Los Angeles, serving cities throughout the United States as well as destinations in the Pacific, Europe, Canada, Mexico and Central America.

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