China eases rules for foreign airlines after US retaliated with ban
Foreign carriers will be allowed to resume service to China next week.
That's the latest update from the Civil Aviation Authority of China (CAAC), which eliminated a schedule technicality that prevented most foreign airlines from flying there. The change comes in an ongoing shadow dance between Beijing and Washington over a number of issues, including aviation.
The aviation spat was elevated Wednesday when the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it would bar Chinese airlines from serving U.S. airports beginning June 16 as long as American carriers remain prohibited from flying to China. Delta and United had sought permission to resume service to China, but the CAAC had failed to act on those requests.
The DOT has not provided an update in light of the latest news from China, but previously said it would reconsider the policy if China relaxed its stance.
Though Thursday's announcement by China represents a more relaxed policy for foreign airlines, the new permission comes with a series of restrictions that will limit service into the summer.
Sign up for the free daily TPG newsletter for more aviation news.
For now, foreign carriers will only be allowed to operate one flight per week to a single city on a list of approved destinations. That means both Delta, which planned to resume China service this week, and United, which planned to do so later this month, will — at least initially — have to scale down those plans.
Delta intended to operate two daily flights to Shanghai Pudong (PVG), one from Detroit (DTW) and one from Seattle (SEA), both stopping at Seoul Incheon (ICN).
United planned to serve both Beijing Capital (PEK) and Shanghai beginning June 15. It planned to fly to both cities from San Francisco (SFO), plus a flight from Newark (EWR) to Shanghai.
Now, both airlines will have to choose which routes will get priority.
Related: American, Delta and United plan to fly these long-haul international routes in June.
CAAC's new guidelines have a phased plan for allowing foreign carriers to increase their schedules to China.
Airlines will be allowed to move to two flights per week, so long as no arriving passengers test positive for COVID-19 for three consecutive weeks.
The CAAC said it will bar airlines from operating for a week if five passengers on any single flight test positive for COVID-19, and will suspend carriers for four weeks if 10 passengers or more test positive.
Related: How coronavirus could change the way we travel.
That policy puts the onus on carriers to make sure their customers are coronavirus-free, possibly turning up the pressure on airlines to devise health checks for passengers traveling to China.
Previously, foreign carriers had already been permitted a single weekly flight to China, but that policy had a large asterisk: they could only operate if they were serving China during the week of March 12. Most international airlines, including all U.S. carriers, had already stopped their routes to China by then, as fears about spreading coronavirus mounted. So, 95% of foreign operators were effectively barred from serving China, according to Reuters.
CAAC's new policy removes that schedule restriction.
Read more: How far can airborne COVID germs really spread on a plane?
Chinese carriers have continued serving the U.S. with passenger and cargo-only flights throughout the pandemic, so the two countries have not been totally cut off from one another. It's unclear if the CAAC's contagion restrictions will apply to China-based carriers as well.
Even as restrictions for carriers relax, China is still barring most foreign nationals from entering the country, so only Chinese citizens will be able to avail themselves of the flights that are operating for the time being.
TPG featured card
at Bilt's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 1X | Choose to earn up to 1X points on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee |
| 2X | Earn 2X points + the option to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday purchases |
Pros
- Choice to earn up to 1 Bilt Point per dollar spent on rent and mortgage payments
- Elevated everyday earnings with both Bilt Points and the option to earn Bilt Cash
- $400 Bilt Travel Portal hotel credit per year (up to $200 biannually)
- $200 Bilt Cash annually
- Priority Pass membership
- No foreign transaction fees
Cons
- Moderate annual fee
- Designed primarily for members seeking a premium, all-in-one card
- Earn points on housing with no transaction fee
- Choose to earn 4% back in Bilt Cash on everyday spend. Use Bilt Cash to unlock point earnings on rent and mortgage payments with no transaction fee, up to 1X.
- 2X points on everyday spend
- $400 Bilt Travel Hotel credit. Applied twice a year, as $200 statement credits, for qualifying Bilt Travel Portal hotel bookings.
- $200 Bilt Cash (awarded annually). At the end of each calendar year, any Bilt Cash balance over $100 will expire.
- Welcome bonus (subject to approval): 50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status after spending $4,000 on everyday purchases in the first 90 days + $300 of Bilt Cash.
- Priority Pass ($469/year value). See Guide to Benefits.
- Bilt Point redemptions include airlines, hotels, future rent and mortgage payments, Lyft rides, statement credits, student loan balances, a down payment on a home, and more.