Air China says more Chinese travellers are being denied US visas

Since the Trump administration began in January, Air China has seen a significant reduction in demand for US flights and may have to reduce some capacity, its top executive for North America said Tuesday. Of significant concern is what the airline believes is a notable decrease in the number of Chinese visitors approved for US visas, said Zhihang Chi, Air China’s VP and GM for North America. Another issue, he said, is ethnic Chinese living in the United States who might be avoiding returning to China for vacation because they fear they’ll be hassled by US border officers when they return. For the visa issue, US officials will not share numbers with the airline, but Chi and his colleagues suspect about 15 to 16% of potential travelers are having their applications denied. In the Obama administration, he said, denial rates were about 10%. Air China can calculate a rough rate because it allows groups to hold seats and cancel tickets for passengers who do not receive visas. “If this continues, we will have to do something,” Chi said. “We are a for-profit cooperation, and obviously we need to match supply with demand.” Chi said Air China has not lodged any formal protests, saying the airline wants to wait to determine whether it’s an “isolated problem.”<br/>