Throwback Thursday: Historic Airline Schedule Snapshot – China - USA Air Links

This special edition of our series for Routes Asia, which opens in Kunming, China, this weekend, looks at the evolution of China – USA passenger traffic from 1995 to 2015. Taking five-year intervals, we look at how direct connectivity between the two counties has improved. All the information listed is weekly round-trip services with summer season referring to peak travel season in July and August.

CHINA - USA AIR SERVICES IN SUMMER 1995
Route Frequency Aircraft Type Operator
Beijing - Anchorage – New York JFK Two 74M Air China
Beijing - San Francisco Three 74E Air China
Beijing – Shanghai – Los Angeles Three M11 China Eastern Airlines
Beijing – Tokyo – Los Angeles Three 747 Northwest Airlines
Beijing – Tokyo – Newark Seven 747 United Airlines
Shanghai – Beijing – Seattle – Chicago Two M11 China Eastern Airlines
Shanghai – Tokyo – Los Angeles One 747 Northwest Airlines
Shanghai – Tokyo – San Francisco Seven 747 United Airlines
CHINA - USA AIR SERVICES IN SUMMER 2000
Route Frequency Aircraft Type Operator
Beijing – Detroit Four 744 Northwest Airlines
Beijing - San Francisco Seven 744 United Airlines
Beijing – Shanghai – Los Angeles Four 744 / 74E Air China
Beijing – Shanghai – Los Angeles Seven M11 China Eastern Airlines
Beijing – Shanghai – San Francisco Five 744 / 74E Air China
Beijing – Tokyo – Detroit Three 744 Northwest Airlines
Guangzhou – Los Angeles Four 772 China Southern Airlines
Shanghai – Detroit Two 744 Northwest Airlines
Shanghai – San Francisco Seven 744 United Airlines
Shanghai – Tokyo – Detroit Four 744 Northwest Airlines
Shanghai – Tokyo – Los Angeles Seven 744 United Airlines
CHINA - USA AIR SERVICES IN SUMMER 2005
Route Frequency Aircraft Type Operator
Guangzhou – Tokyo – Honolulu Seven 757 / 744 Northwest Airlines
Guangzhou – Los Angeles Four 772 China Southern Airlines
Beijing – Tokyo – Detroit Seven 332 / 744 Northwest Airlines
Beijing – Newark Seven 772 Continental Airlines
Beijing – New York JFK Seven 744 Air China
Beijing – Los Angeles Six 744 Air China
Beijing – Chicago Seven 744 United Airlines
Beijing – San Francisco Seven 744 United Airlines
Shanghai – Tokyo – Detroit Seven 744 Northwest Airlines
Shanghai – Los Angeles Seven 346 China Eastern Airlines
Shanghai – Chicago Seven 772 United Airlines
Shanghai – San Francisco Five 74E Air China
Shanghai – San Francisco Seven 744 United Airlines
CHINA - USA AIR SERVICES IN SUMMER 2010
Route Frequency Aircraft Type Operator
Beijing – Chicago Seven 772 American Airlines
Beijing – Chicago Seven 772 United Airlines
Beijing – Los Angeles Seven 74E Air China
Beijing – New York JFK Seven 744 Air China
Beijing – Newark Seven 772 Continental Airlines
Beijing – San Francisco
Seven 74E Air China
Beijing – San Francisco Seven 744 United Airlines
Beijing – Seattle Five 763 Delta Air Lines
Beijing – Seattle Four 330 Hainan Airlines
Beijing – Washington Seven 772 United Airlines
Guangzhou – Los Angeles Four 772 China Southern Airlines
Shanghai – Chicago Seven 772 American Airlines
Shanghai – Chicago Seven 772 United Airlines
Shanghai – Detroit Seven 772 / 77L Delta Air Lines
Shanghai – Los Angeles Seven 346

China Eastern Airlines

Shanghai – New York JFK Seven 346 China Eastern Airlines
Shanghai – Newark Seven 772 Continental Airlines
Shanghai – San Francisco Seven 744 United Airlines
CHINA - USA AIR SERVICES IN SUMMER 2015
Route Frequency Aircraft Type Operator
Beijing – Boston Seven 788 Hainan Airlines
Beijing – Chicago Seven 772 American Airlines
Beijing – Chicago Seven 788 Hainan Airlines
Beijing – Chicago Seven 744 United Airlines
Beijing – Dallas Seven 788 American Airlines
Beijing – Detroit Seven 332 Delta Air Lines
Beijing – Honolulu Three 332 Air China
Beijing – Honolulu Three 332 Hawaiian Airlines
Beijing – Houston
Seven 77W Air China
Beijing - Los Angeles Twenty One 77W Air China
Beijing - New York JFK Fourteen 74H / 77W Air China
Beijing - Newark
Seven 772 United Airlines
Beijing – San Francisco Seven 74H Air China
Beijing – San Francisco Seven 744 United Airlines
Beijing – San Jose
Five 788 Hainan Airlines
Beijing – Seattle Seven 332 Delta Air Lines
Beijing – Seattle Seven 332 Hainan Airlines
Beijing – Washington Four 77W Air China
Beijing – Washington Seven 772 United Airlines
Chengdu - San Francisco Seven 788 United Airlines
Guangzhou – Los Angeles Eleven 388 / 788 China Southern Airlines
Guangzhou – New York JFK
Eleven 77W China Southern Airlines
Guangzhou – San Francisco
Four 788 China Southern Airlines
Shanghai – Chicago Seven 772 American Airlines
Shanghai – Chicago Seven 744 United Airlines
Shanghai – Dallas
Seven 772 American Airlines
Shanghai – Detroit Seven 744 Delta Air Lines
Shanghai – Honolulu
Seven 332

China Eastern Airlines

Shanghai – Los Angeles Seven 772

American Airlines

Shanghai – Los Angeles Seven 77L Delta Air Lines
Shanghai – Los Angeles Fourteen 77W / 332 China Eastern Airlines
Shanghai – Los Angeles Seven 789 United Airlines
Shanghai – New York JFK Seven 77W China Eastern Airlines
Shanghai – Newark Seven 772 United Airlines
Shanghai – San Francisco Seven 332 China Eastern Airlines
Shanghai – San Francisco Fourteen 744 / 772 United Airlines
Shanghai – Seatlle
Seven 332 Delta Air Lines
Wuhan – San Francisco Three 788 China Southern Airlines
Jim Liu

Jim is responsible for the content on our sister blog, Airlineroute, which offers an indispensable guide to flight schedule updates. Launched in 2007…