Boston, June 22, 2014, –Hainan Airlines launched a brand new route from Beijing to Boston, using its latest Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft.
The new flights commenced on June 20, 2014 marking the first ever direct passenger service between Boston and mainland China. Initially, Hainan Airlines will operate the trans-Pacific route four times a week, with flights departing Beijing Capital International Airport every Monday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 1350, before arriving at Boston’s Logan International Airport at 1510 the same day, having crossed the International Date Line. The return leg will then depart the Massachusetts city at 1710, getting back into Beijing at 1850 the next day.
Hainan Airlines and Massport officials and staff celebrate the arrival of the inaugural service.
But the frequency will be increased to daily from 18 July until the end of August.
“We have had our sights on Boston for a long time, and we are thrilled to finally be able to bring Hainan Airlines’ famous five-star service to New England. The new flight provides the fastest way to get to Beijing… [cutting] about three hours off existing routings,” said Xie Haoming, president of Hainan Airlines.
“Business, leisure and educational travel, and trade between the United States and China has been growing dramatically. This wonderful new link will stimulate this growth via the important Boston gateway, our first on the East Coast,” Xie added.
Boston becomes Hainan Airlines’ fourth destination in North America, following Toronto, Seattle, and Chicago. And much of this expansion has been made possible by the recent arrival of the airline’s new fleet of fuel-efficient Dreamliners.
“The economics and the range of a new generation of aircraft, like the Boeing 787 and the Airbus A350, make new non-stop routes from Boston to markets like Beijing possible,” explained Thomas P. Glynn, CEO of Massport, which operates Logan Airport.
Hainan Airlines operates its Dreamliners with a low-density two-cabin configuration offering 36 seats in business class and 177 in economy. All passengers are offered on-demand in-flight entertainment, in-seat power outlets and USB ports, while the 36 business class seats all convert into fully-flat beds.
China Southern and Hainan Airlines are the only two Chinese carriers currently operating the Boeing 787. As well as the destinations in North America, Hainan Airlines flies its B787s on key domestic routes connecting Beijing with Haikou, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Changsha, Sanya, Xi’an and Kunming.