Air China's Beijing-New York Service Gets Major Boost with Upgrade to Boeing 777-300ER and Expanded Frequency

-- The Big Apple joins other Air China North America gateways with fleet upgrade and expanded capacity-

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- A special double treat awaits China and Asia-bound travelers from New York on March 31, 2013 when Air China, China's exclusive national flag carrier, upgrades its aircraft to the state of the art Boeing 777-300ER and increase its frequency from 7 to 11 per week for its nonstop New York-Beijing flights.

"Adding new flights is a response to a consistently growing passenger demand for more convenient nonstop services between New York and Beijing.  Business or leisure travelers bound for Beijing or onward to domestic Chinese cities and other destinations in Asia such as Hong Kong, Vietnam, India, the Philippines, Thailand and many others, stand to benefit the most from Air China's increased capacity and convenient connecting flights," Mr. Yuelong Zhou, Air China's General Manager in New York, said. 

Air China is the only airline with nonstop service between New York and Beijing.  It is also the only airline with first class cabin between these two cities.  Current daily flights between New York and Beijing are CA 982 and CA 981.

The additional outbound flight, CA 990, departs from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 2:50 AM, arriving in Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) at 2:20 PM local time the next day.  Inbound, CA 989 leaves Beijing at 9:00 AM also on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, arriving in New York at 10:20 AM local time on the same day.

As the largest long-range twin-engine jetliner, the B777-300ER is cleaner and greener.  It also brings twin-engine efficiency and reliability to the long-range market and delivers better fuel performance.

"Operating the New York-Beijing flight with the new 'triple seven' provides Air China with a significant advantage in the highly competitive New York market.  It shows our commitment to provide air travelers with the best product from John F. Kennedy International Airport to Beijing.  I'm sure our guests will appreciate the features of the energy-efficient Boeing 777-300ER," Mr. Zhou commented.

The 'triple seven' has a wider cabin than any competing aircraft.  It is designed for maximum passenger comfort and convenience.  Air China's Forbidden Pavilion (first class) features eight luxury suites, 41 full-flat bed seats in the Capital Pavilion (business class) and 259 economy seats with individual monitors and in-seat audio-video on demand (AVOD).

Designed for maximum passenger comfort, the interior of Air China's B777-300ER feature ten mood lighting variations in the Forbidden and Capital Pavilions, each timed to complement the different  phases of a flight—from boarding through meal service, sleeping and pre-arrival.  The ambient lighting recreates the sunset, night and sunrise to reflect the various services associated with each phase and create a totally relaxing environment.

Today's announcement follows last week's approval granted to Air China by the U.S. Department of Transportation to start four weekly nonstop services between Houston and Beijing on July 11, 2013 using the B777-300ER. Houston is Air China's fifth gateway in North America in addition to New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver.  The Los Angeles-Beijing service, operated with the B777-300ER, will resume its double daily flights on March 31, 2013.  Vancouver-Beijing is scheduled to increase from 7 to 11 flights per week on May 17, 2013.  A bigger B747-400 full passenger aircraft will be used for the San Francisco-Beijing daily operation beginning March 31, 2013.

About Air China

Air China is the world's largest airline by market capitalization, according to the International Air Transport Association (IATA).  Air China holds the controlling shares for Shenzhen Airlines, Air Macau, Dalian Airlines, Beijing Airlines, Shandong Airlines and 29.9% of Cathay Pacific Airways, making it the airline's largest shareholder after the Swire Group. It operates a fleet of 432 Airbus and Boeing aircraft.  Its robust network of 289 routes extends throughout Asia, the Middle East, Europe, South and North America from its main hub at Beijing Capital International Airport where it offers unrivaled connections to cities within China and beyond. As a Star Alliance member, Air China has within its reach 1,356 destination in 193 countries. 

Visit http://www.airchina.us/ or call Air China's North America Call Center at 800-882-8122 for more information.