BRIEF: New flights to China won't benefit Sea-Tac at first

Jul. 10--Posted online at 2:06 p.m. Monday U.S. Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters and Chinese Minister of Civil Aviation Yang Yuanyuan signed an agreement Monday that will open the doors to new tourist, business and aviation trade with China.

The new pact will increase the number of nonstop flights by U.S. carriers between the two countries by 13 daily flights over the next six years. Ten daily nonstop flights now travel between China and the United States.

The agreement will allow one additional daily flight in 2007 and one more in 2008. Four daily flights will be added in 2009, three in 201, and two each in 2011 and 2012.

The federal Department of Transportation has said it wants to award the first new route to a major carrier with no existing routes to China. Only Delta Air Lines and US Airways fit that description.

Delta says it wants to fly from its Atlanta hub to Shanghai. US Airways says it's interested in adding China to its route map but not until 2009.

Sea-Tac Airport is unlikely to profit from the new opportunities to serve China until later in the decade after the major hubs have nonstop flights to China.

John Gillie: 253-597-8663

john.gillie@thenewstribunelcom

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