The DOT made it official today. It awarded the new China route to United Airlines.

United was granted the right to fly its proposed “capital to capital” service from Dulles to Beijing. US Airways supported the United proposal. Continental, Northwest and American had also applied for the right to fly the route, but, as you may recall American’s proposal was amended in December. The DOT ruled the change to the airline’s proposal came too late and was too great — therefore American’s revised proposal which had it flying one-stop from DFW to Beijing, via Chicago, was not even considered.

The tentative order can be found here.

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