American Airlines today launched daily nonstop service from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), marking the carrier’s third nonstop route to the Chinese capital and 15th route between the U.S. and the Asia-Pacific region. Since 2010, American has served Beijing from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) and in 2015 added service from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).
“American is proud to be the only U.S.-based carrier to offer service between Los Angeles and Beijing,” said Jim Butler, American’s senior vice president – International and Cargo. “The new route enhances our expanding Asia-Pacific network by providing more options for business and leisure travelers as well as cargo customers looking to connect shipments on American’s network to Latin America and other destinations in the U.S.”
“The launch of new nonstop service to Beijing solidifies LAX as American’s West Coast gateway to the Asia-Pacific region,” said Suzanne Boda, senior vice president – Los Angeles. “American has a long, proud history of serving Los Angeles and since 2015, we have added service to 24 new destinations from LAX, including Sydney, Auckland, Hong Kong, Tokyo Haneda and now, Beijing.” Daily LAX-PEK Service Schedule (all times local):
AA 181 AA 180
LAX-PEK PEK-LAX
Departs LAX at 10:55 a.m. Departs PEK at 6:30 p.m.
Arrives at PEK at 4:20 p.m. (next day) Arrives at LAX at 3:15 p.m.
Service between LAX and PEK will be operated using a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft that features 28 fully lie-flat seats with direct aisle access in Business Class. All seats onboard the 787-800 have access to international Wi-Fi, a touchscreen monitor equipped with up to 260 movies, 240 TV shows, 13 radio channels, 350 albums and 20 games.
American is the largest carrier at LAX with more than 200 daily flights to 70 destinations on five continents. Earlier this year, American announced that it would be investing more than $1.5 billion in improvements at LAX’s Terminals 4 and 5 for its customers and 7,000 team members who call the hub home. Later this year, American will reopen a renovated Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge with new Flagship First Dining. More than 500 new team members, including Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking flight attendants and customer service agents, have joined American at LAX since 2016.
At PEK, American recently relocated from Terminal 3 to Terminal 2, significantly reducing connection times for customers transiting flights between the U.S., China and other destinations in Asia. This move also allowed American to collocate with its equity partner, China Southern.
About American Airlines Group
American Airlines and American Eagle offer an average of nearly 6,700 flights per day to nearly 350 destinations in more than 50 countries. American has hubs in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. American is a founding member of the oneworld alliance, whose members and members-elect serve nearly 1,000 destinations with 14,250 daily flights to 150 countries. Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. trade on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol AAL. In 2015, its stock joined the S&P 500 index.