By Mary Ellen Podmolik
| With a landing rights dispute settled, American Airlines launched
service between Chicago and Beijing Tuesday, as part of a schedule that
will offer a daily flight four times a week.

The Texas-based carrier had planned to initiate the service almost a
month ago, but the first flight was canceled only hours before departure
because of a dispute with the Chinese government over landing rights.

Citing congestion, the government originally slotted American’s flights to arrive in Beijing at 2:20 a.m. and depart at 4:20 a.m. The Obama administration lobbied aviation authorities in China for American to secure landing slots in the middle of the day.

But American did not secure such prime slots. Under the schedule announced Tuesday, flights will arrive at Beijing Capital International Airport at 11 or 11:50 p.m., depending on the day, and leave there for Chicago, at 6:59  or 7:59 a.m.

The new Beijing route is important to American, whose northern Pacific market share trails that of Chicago-based United Airlines and Delta. American has touted the new route in broadcast ads and on billboards around Chicago. It also hired Sam Choy, a celebrity chef from Hawaii, to create Asian-fusion menu items for the flight.