American Airlines cutting nonstop flights from Chicago to China and Japan from buzai232's blog

american Airlines is cutting back on flights from Chicago to China and Japan this fall, saying it couldn’t keep flying money-losing routes at a time when fuel costs are high.

American’s daily nonstop flights from Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport to Shanghai will end in late October, the airline said Tuesday. Daily flights between Chicago and Tokyo will be cut back to three days per week in December.spring airlines baggage allowance

Fort Worth, Texas-based American previously had announced plans to end nonstop flights between Chicago and Beijing in late October, saying it plans to seek permission to fly to Beijing’s new international airport, expected to open next year.
American remains enthusiastic about both Chicago and Asia, but “the two China routes, and to a lesser degree Tokyo, have been colossal loss leaders for us,” Vasu Raja, vice president of network and schedule planning, said in an interview on the airline’s podcast.

Chicago is a “very profitable hub,” Raja said. The airline has been carrying more passengers through the city and does not plan to reduce overall capacity there, he said.

But there isn’t enough demand to sustain the China routes, American said. Neither the Chicago-to-Shanghai nor the Chicago-to-Beijing route has been profitable since launching in 2006 and 2010, respectively, airline spokeswoman Leslie Scott said.

Scott said American also was at a disadvantage in Chicago because it had to continue operating daily nonstop flights to Shanghai and Beijing or risk losing the right to offer those flights. U.S. carriers must seek government approval to operate flights to certain countries, including China. American, which got approval for its flights between Chicago and China after some of its rivals, had less flexibility to scale back flights when demand slowed, she said.

American has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation for a waiver that would allow the airline to resume flying between Chicago and Shanghai and Beijing when economic conditions improve.

In the meantime, the airline wants to focus on its Asia flights from hubs in Dallas, where travelers can connect to destinations in Latin America, and Los Angeles, which attracts passengers throughout the West Coast, Scott said.

American and partner carrier Japan Airlines collectively will still have nonstop flights between Chicago and Tokyo 10 times per week, and during the peak season between June and August next summer, Japan Airlines will add flights so the carriers will together offer twice-daily flights, American said.