News
U.S. government grants temporary waiver extension to American, Delta on China slots
March 16th 2026
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has approved requests from American Airlines and Delta Air Lines to extend their temporary waiver to retain frequencies they hold for flights between the U.S. and Mainland China they did not intend to use during the northern hemisphere summer scheduling season from the end of this month to October. Read More » The DOT said the decision was consistent with the public interest. "We will require the carrier to resume service using the affected frequencies no later than October 25, 2026," the DOT said. Delta sought a waiver to retain 25 of the 42 frequencies it held for U.S.-Mainland China flights it was not going to operate in the March-to-October period. American’s application was to retain the 14 of the 21 Mainland China-U.S. frequencies. United Airlines’ application for a temporary waiver for 42 of 66 frequencies is still before the DOT.
