News
American Airlines request extension of temporary waiver on U.S-Mainland China slots
February 2nd 2026
American Airlines (AA) has asked the U.S. Department of Transportation (DoT) to extend the temporary waiver to retain 14 of the 21 frequencies it holds for flights between the U.S. and Mainland China it does not intend to use between March 31 to October 26 this year. Read More » Currently, the oneworld alliance member flies nonstop daily between Dallas/Fort Worth and Shanghai Pudong. It is AA’s sole Mainland China-U.S. route. AA told the DoT it did not currently anticipate using the remaining 14 weekly U.S.-China frequencies during the 2026 northern hemisphere summer scheduling season - which runs from March 29 to October 24 - citing market conditions. "The majority of pre-pandemic frequencies remain unoperated and likely will remain so through at least the 2026 summer season, since U.S.–China passenger demand has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels," AA said in its submission. The DoT has extended the waiver on several occasions since 2020.
