Seattle gets new non-stop China service

Besides the new China route rights that the Transportation Department handed down to U.S. airlines a few months ago, similar authority was given to some Chinese airlines. One of them was Hainan Airlines, which just announced it will begin Seattle-Beijing flights on June 9 of this year. The service will operate four times a week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday), using Airbus A330-200s with business and economy seating. It’s the first U.S. route for Hainan – China’s largest privately-owned airline – and the company has set up a U.S. reservations/information number at 888-688-8813. Hainan said it is a launch customer for Boeing’s new 787 Dreamliner, and it will use that aircraft on the route as soon as it is available. Hainan offers connections via Beijing to 40 Chinese cities.