Originally Posted by
moondog
CA has been flying to and from JFK without going through Russian air space (using slots added last fall).
Its IAD flight has an LAX stop westbound though, even though it's shorter than JFK-PEK, so I'm guessing they're taking a weight penalty from New York.
PEK-IAD seems like a really bad use of a precious slot. I assume this is flown mainly for political/prestige reasons.