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On April 11, 2024, Airlines for America and five aviation labor organizations asked the Biden administration to pause any increase in passenger flights between the United States and China. Their letter argued that U.S. carriers and workers lacked equal access to China’s aviation market. It was an industry request—not a government order—and the available sources do not establish what happened to it afterward or what the current flight limit is.
What the airline coalition asked for
The letter went to Antony Blinken, then secretary of state, and Pete Buttigieg, then secretary of transportation. It urged the administration to hold off on additional U.S.–China passenger flights until, in the signatories’ view, U.S. workers and businesses had equal market access.
The coalition’s central request was: “pause additional passenger flights between the United States and the People’s Republic of China until U.S. workers and businesses are guaranteed equality of access in the marketplace.” This was advocacy language from the signatories, not an independent government finding that access was unequal. Read the coalition’s April 11, 2024 letter.
Who signed the letter
- Nicholas E. Calio, Airlines for America
- Capt. Jason Ambrosi, Air Line Pilots Association
- Capt. Ed Sicher, Allied Pilots Association
- Sara Nelson, Association of Flight Attendants–CWA, AFL-CIO
- Brian Bryant, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
- Sean M. O’Brien, International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Why the signatories opposed additional flights
The coalition said pandemic-era restrictions had limited U.S. carriers’ access to China’s aviation market. It also argued that Chinese airlines had a competitive advantage because they continued to use Russian airspace after U.S. carriers stopped flying through it in March 2022, and because of protections it said Chinese carriers received through their relationship with the Chinese government. These are the signatories’ claims; the letter does not independently establish their scale or quantify their effects on fares, airline costs, or passengers.
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The letter estimated that about 315,000 workers were employed by U.S. passenger airlines serving China. That figure is the coalition’s estimate, and the letter does not provide a separate methodology for it.
How many flights were allowed in 2024?
The Associated Press reported that the administration raised the number of weekly round trips Chinese airlines could operate to 50, effective March 31, 2024. The report said the increase followed a promise by China’s aviation authority to seek more flights for U.S. carriers. The 50-round-trip figure describes the reported 2024 limit; it does not establish today’s cap. Associated Press report on the 2024 increase.
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How earlier U.S. flight limits provide context
In June 2020, the U.S. Department of Transportation said it was responding to China’s failure to let U.S. carriers exercise bilateral passenger-service rights. DOT said it would allow Chinese carriers the same number of scheduled passenger flights that China permitted U.S. airlines. DOT’s June 2020 statement.
In August 2020, DOT said four Chinese airlines could increase service to eight weekly round trips in total, describing that level as equivalent to the service then allowed for U.S. carriers. This was a separate 2020 action, not the 2024 figure or a verified current limit. DOT’s August 2020 announcement.
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Was the request approved, and what is the current limit?
The cited sources establish that the coalition made its request and that AP reported a 50-weekly-round-trip limit for Chinese airlines taking effect on March 31, 2024. They do not establish whether the administration adopted the coalition’s request or what flight permissions apply now. The 2020 actions and 2024 figure should not be treated as current policy without newer official information.
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