New flights travel directly from Beijing to Houston

By Joey Caparella     1/23/13 6:00pm

 

As of July 11, traveling from Houston to China will become a lot easier. Last week, Houston's Bush Intercontinental Airport announced that it would begin nonstop service to Beijing through Air China. 

Air China spokesperson Lillibeth Bishop said Houston would be the fifth North American city to provide direct flights to Beijing, joining New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Vancouver. 

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According to a release by the airport, the service will start with four flights a week. One flight will depart from Houston at 1:40 a.m. and arrive in Beijing at 5 p.m. the next day; the other will depart from Beijing at 3 p.m. and arrive in Houston at 3:30 p.m. the same day, the release says. 

Bishop said the nonstop flight would save a significant amount of time compared to the usual route of changing planes in Los Angeles or San Francisco. 

"The nonstop flight from Houston to Beijing is approximately 12 hours," Bishop said. "If you factor in the time it takes to get from Houston to Los Angeles plus layovers, you save more than three hours." 

Bishop said fares were not yet released but that there would be a price increase for nonstop flights. 

"There will be a significant difference," Bishop said. "Time is money, and a nonstop flight saves you the inconvenience of changing planes." 

Bishop said Houston was chosen as a nonstop destination for mainly economic and geographical reasons but that the city was also important in the history of China-U.S. relations. 

"Houston was one of the cities that former leader of China Deng Xiaoping visited in his first visit to the U.S. in 1979," Bishop said. "Houston was where China established its first consulate general ... the city holds a special significance to China." 

Baker College junior Boyu Zhang, an international student from Beijing, said this announcement was to be expected considering the increasing economic and educational ties between the U.S. and China. 

Zhang also said a direct flight might make it easier for international students from China to return home over breaks. 

"It should definitely encourage those who don't go back that frequently to more readily do so," Zhang said. "The days when people missed their connecting flight in [San Francisco] and thus had to wait until the next morning for the next available flight will be history." 

According to the Office of International Student Services, almost 50 percent of Rice's more than 1,200 international students come from China. 

Associate Vice Provost for International Education Adria Baker said international students are on their own for finding flights. 

"The students have to be really organized for booking flights," Baker said. "Anytime you can get a direct flight, it's a good thing." 

Baker also noted Rice's increasing connection with China. 

"Expansion with China is a strategic part of the Vision for the Second Century," Baker said. "Rice has gotten very popular in China. We're famous there now." 

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