4 round-trip flights a week allowed, after China loosens its rules on U.S. carriers
The Trump administration further eased plans to restrict passenger flights by mainland Chinese airlines to the U.S. after China said it would permit more passenger flights by the US. airlines.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said Monday it would allow a total of four round-trip flights a week by Chinese airlines, double the level it had set earlier this month. The move came after Chinese authorities said they would allow both of the U.S. airlines seeking to return to China to operate two weekly flights each.
“We welcome this action by the Chinese government, as an important first step to fully restore air travel,” the U.S. Transportation Department said in a statement. The change announced Monday is further indication that both the U.S. and China are backing down from a standoff over airline service that threatened to halt scheduled passenger service between the two countries.
Delta Air Lines Holdings Inc. DAL, +2.45% said Monday that it plans to fly from Seattle to Shanghai with a stop in Seoul next week. In July, it will fly once a week from Seattle and once from Detroit. Under an agreement with Chinese authorities, the airline will take passengers’ temperatures before departure, a spokeswoman said.