Official US Government Icon

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure Site Icon

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

News Digest 160-16

Friday, December 16, 2016

DOT Awards New Los Angeles-Beijing Flight to American Airlines.  The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) today finalized its November 7th tentative decision to select American Airlines for new daily scheduled nonstop service between Los Angeles and Beijing, China.  The Department determined in its selection of American that it held a clear advantage  in terms of U.S. connecting points, and it would enhance competition and service, and thereby would maximize public benefits.  DOT’s order concludes a proceeding to consider the competing applications of American and Delta, each having applied for authority to operate daily round-trip Los Angeles-Beijing flights.  The U.S.-China aviation agreement caps the total number of weekly frequencies that each country’s airlines can operate to primary Chinese cities, including Beijing and Shanghai.  Four U.S. airlines – American, Delta, Hawaiian, and United – currently provide passenger services between the United States and China, and they have already been allocated nearly all of the frequencies that are available to the United States.  Because there were insufficient frequencies remaining to accommodate both American’s and Delta’s requests, DOT was required to conduct this proceeding to select a carrier to provide service in this market.  DOT’s order requires American to begin its new Los Angeles-Beijing service within 90 days.  Interested parties may read DOT’s decision and view the other publicly available documents at regulations.gov, Docket DOT-OST-2016-0076.  Contact:  Caitlin Harvey:  (202) 366-4570, caitlin.harvey@dot.gov.

DOT Advises Air Travelers and Colleges About Tour Packages to College Bowl Games.  The U.S. Department of Transportation issued two notices today concerning tour packages to college bowl games.  The first notice reminds air travelers going to this season’s college bowl games and other special events not to make a payment for a special event air tour package without obtaining either the ticket to the bowl game or other special event or a written confirmation that a ticket to the event is included.  The second notice advises colleges and other organizations on how to properly arrange charter flights to bowl games, basketball tournament games, or other special events.  Both notices can be found online at www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/latest-news.  People may file complaints about college bowl tour operators that advertise tickets, but do not provide them, or other violations of the Department’s rules on special event tours by contacting the Office of Aviation Enforcement and Proceedings at www.transportation.gov/airconsumer/file-consumer-complaint, by voicemail at (202) 366-2220, or by TTY at (202) 366-0511.  Contact for news media:  Caitlin Harvey:  (202) 366-4570, caitlin.harvey@dot.gov.

###