Originally Posted by
sinoflyer
With AA exiting ORD-PEK this fall, could UA believe that it could pick up some residual U.S.-China demand? Doubtful too considering that U.S.-China is currently oversaturated.
I agree. Too much capacity at the moment. Airlines on both sides are offering deeply discounted tickets in Y and J to fill up the planes. Yields are low. I am seeing round-trip J selling for less than $4K on UA on selective dates.... the same fare I paid when I started flying UA to China back in 1992. I really don’t see UA starting any new services between US and the three main Chinese cities in PEK, PVG and CAN. Deeply discounted fares are also popping up between US and China via HKG and ICN on CX and KE/OZ, respectively.
IAD-PEK-IAD is one of the easiest routes to clear upgrades,IMHO. Even with all the upgrades cleared, you could observe 1/3 of J goes out empty on the the 36-seat 788 on certain dates.