Hainan Airlines expands LAX service by adding flights from Chengdu and Chongqing. It was reported earlier in the year that the airline had applied for rights to fly from Chengdu to JFK and LAX. The airline has been playing catch up with its larger rivals in China such as Air China, China Southern and China Eastern. The airline will launch the flights starting on March 15 for Chengdu, and March 21 for Chongqing.
New LAX Flights
Their new LAX flights will complement their current flight to Changsha. The airline will fly with their 787-8s. Hainan Airlines will be flying to their non-hubs Chengdu and Chongqing. The main reason to why they are doing that is because in China only one airline can fly a certain international route. So, in order to strip away their competition’s flights, they are planning on flying those routes. Their main competitor on those routes would be Sichuan Airlines. They currently fly the route with their A330s, but they fly via a third city. Sichuan Airlines does this because they do not have an airliner that can fly the route non-stop. This allows them to pick up extra passengers and make it to Los Angeles.
With the current regulations for Chinese carriers in place, it is very difficult for the smaller airlines to compete with the Big Chinese Three. The airline is the largest civilian run airline in China, and has been aggressively expanding throughout the world.
Hainan Airlines Product
Hainan Airlines is China’s only 5 star airline, according to Skytrax. Lucky, from OMAAT, has flown them to Changsha and had great things to say about the soft product. The airline has 2x2x2 business class on their 787s, and offer some great amenities, such as Limo service from home to airport to destination. They codeshare with Alaska Airlines, and you can book their flights from Alaska’s Mileage Plan. The flights are very reasonably priced in terms of miles, and we have seen good fare deals from Los Angeles before.
Landing Thoughts:
I am very excited to see Hainan Airlines being able to fly from large cities to LAX. The airline is one of the best options to fly to China, probably the best in business class. I look forward to redeeming my Alaska Miles on Hainan soon, and visiting mainland China. Hainan is probably the most interesting airline in China. They have had to fly unusual routes around the world in order offer international connections. They at one time offered flights to Khartoum in Sudan. There is a large Chinese expat population there, so the flight made sense in the past. We will have to see which new places the airlines flies to next.
What do you think? Have you flown or are planning to fly Hainan Airlines out of LAX? Let us know!
Images from Wikimedia Commons and One Mile at a Time.
