Delta plans new Shanghai flight as American puts service on hold

Delta hopes to add new service to Shanghai Pudong from its Minneapolis/St Paul hub in 2020, even as American Airlines plans to put two of its China routes on hold. The carrier plans to launch a new daily flight between Minneapolis and Shanghai with a 306-seat Airbus A350-900 from June 2020, it says in an application to the US Department of Transportation today. It would need seven US-China zone one frequencies, which limit service to Beijing, Guangzhou and Shanghai, for the route. "The proposed flights will provide Minneapolis and St Paul area customers with the first nonstop service to China and enhance service at Delta’s hub at MSP, expanding connecting service options for consumers across the Upper Midwest and the United States," says Delta in its application. The new service would also connect to the networks of Delta's partners China Eastern and Shanghai Airlines beyond Pudong airport. The US carrier owns a 3.5% stake in China Eastern that it acquired in 2015.<br/>