The four US airlines jockeying for the next route to China are accelerating
their campaigns to win support for their applications from the public and
businesses.
AMR Corp.'s American Airlines, UAL Corp.'s United Airlines, Continental
Airlines and Northwest Airlines are all racing to secure the prestigious service
to add to their Asia routes.
As they make their case to the Transportation Department, which awards the
route, the airlines also are making their case to potential customers.
"This is not some normal route application. China is where it's at," airline
consultant Michael Boyd said. "It's critical because airlines that have the best
access to China are going to have the best revenue flows domestically and
internationally."
U.S. carriers, battered by low-cost competition at home, have sought out
growth on lucrative international routes, and China's economic expansion
presents a strong opportunity for airlines with service there.
The Transportation Department has said it would grant one additional daily
route to China to one of four U.S. airlines that already fly there. The
application deadline was in August, and the government is due to make its choice
in February.
The United States keeps tight reins on rights to fly to China, so competition
for the route among airlines is stiff.
United, which wants to add service from Washington D.C. to Beijing, is a
member of the Capital-to-Capital Coalition, a group of Washington, D.C.
organizations that supports that route. Currently there is no service between
the two capitals.
"This is a unique route case for United, as it closes that service gap and
provides much-needed capital-to-capital connectivity for our customers,
governments, commerce and culture," UAL Chief Executive Glenn Tilton said in a
recorded message to employees on Tuesday.
Continental jumped into the public relations contest last week, staging a
press conference in New York's Chinatown, where it asked supporters to lobby for
the airline's proposed service between New York/Newark and Shanghai.
The carrier has received more than 15,000 letters supporting its application,
spokeswoman Julie King said.
American, which hopes to add service between Dallas/Fort Worth and Beijing,
launched a Web site last month to win public support. The site,
flytochinaonaa.com, calls on businesses and community members to speak out in
favor of the route.
Northwest said it plans to launch a Web site to support its proposed
Detroit-to-Shanghai route. In the meantime, it is making its case in briefings
to customers and airport officials.
A strong public relations campaign could make or break an airline's bid to
win the new route, said Joe Schwieterman, a transportation expert at DePaul
University.
He said the public is unlikely to get excited over a new China route, but the
airline that wins the most support from businesses has a leg up on the
competition.
"Commerce speaks loudest when it comes to choosing new routes to China,"
Schwieterman said. "This is a horse race that is hard to predict."
