China Eastern Airlines landed in Chicago O’Hare on Friday, becoming the first Chinese carrier to begin regular nonstop on the Chicago-Shanghai route.
Chicago becomes China Eastern’s fifth destination in the United States and seventh in North America. China Eastern will initially fly the route three times a week on 316-seat Boeing 777-300ER aircraft that seat 6 in first class, 52 in business class and 258 in coach.
“We are thrilled to now offer travelers our direct connectivity between Chicago and Shanghai,” Dong Bo, China Eastern's Chief Marketing Officer, said in a statement ahead of the launch. “We ... are proud to be the only Chinese airline to offer this direct route between O’Hare International Airport and Shanghai Pudong International Airport.”
China Eastern’s Chicago-Shanghai route will go head-to-head against competing service offered by both American and United. China Eastern’s flights will give all three of the world’s big frequent-flier alliances a player operating nonstop between Chicago and Shanghai.
China Eastern is a member of the SkyTeam frequent-flier alliance that also includes Delta. American belongs to the oneworld alliance while United is a member of the Star Alliance.
Delta announced in the summer of 2015 that it would buy a nearly 4% stake in China Eastern, a deal that strengthened its ties with its SkyTeam partner.
As for China Eastern’s new Chicago flights, the airline says Chicago customers will be able to connect via Shanghai to more than 150 destinations in Asia, Australia and New Zealand.
Chicago becomes China Eastern’s first destination in the central United States. The airline also flies to Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York JFK and San Francisco. China Eastern’s Canadian destinations are Toronto and Vancouver.
