国内新闻：US airlines seek China expansion

DALLAS -- Several leading US airlines have asked federal regulators for the right to operate new nonstop flights between the United States and China beginning in March 2009.

American, the largest US carrier, said it applied Monday for a route from Chicago's O'Hare Airport to Beijing. A similar bid failed several months ago, partly because American's management and pilots couldn't agree on work rules for the flights.

Continental applied Monday to fly between Newark, N.J., and Shanghai. The Houston-based airline said its flights would serve the financial hub of New York and a large Chinese-American population in the area.

US Airways said it is seeking to offer nonstop service between its Philadelphia hub and Beijing, China.

Delta Air Lines Inc. asked to fly from Atlanta to Beijing and Shanghai; and Northwest Airlines Corp. filed to offer service between Detroit and the same two Chinese cities.

UAL Corp.'s United Airlines proposed to fly between San Francisco and Guangzhou starting in 2008, and between Los Angeles and Shanghai in 2009.

Air service between the two countries is restricted by agreements between the two governments. US airlines eager to tap the growing Chinese market must apply to the Department of Transportation for new routes.

In the competition for Chinese routes, US airlines gather support from politicians and customers to sell their proposals to federal regulators. For example, American, a unit of Fort Worth-based AMR Corp., boasted support from four US senators and three governors.

Schwarzenegger favors proposal for non-stop flights to China

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said Tuesday that he favored a proposal for non-stop air services to China from two major Californian cities.

Schwarzenegger made the remarks after United Airlines submitted an application to the US Department of Transportation Monday to add daily, non-stop services from San Francisco and Los Angeles to China in 2008 and 2009.

"China's more than 1 billion citizens represent an important market for Californian products and services," Schwarzenegger said in a statement e-mailed to Xinhua.

"United Airlines' proposal to add a daily, non-stop service between our state and China is a great opportunity to promote California tourism and pump up our state's economy," said the governor.

"Direct flights between California and China will only have a positive impact on our state and I look forward to working with United Airlines in the future as we continue to strengthen our economic ties with this important Pacific Rim partner," he added.

United Airlines' application proposes a non-stop service between San Francisco and Guangzhou in 2008, and a daily non-stop service between Los Angeles and Shanghai in 2009.

In 2006, exports from California to China totaled almost 10 billion dollars, up from 5.5 billion dollars in 2003 when the governor took office, according to the statement.

California is the number one US state in terms of total exports to China and the top exports include computers and electronic products, waste and scrap materials, transportation equipment and heavy machinery.