Delta bids to link Atlanta with Shanghai

Delta Air Lines has applied to become the first carrier to link the world's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, with Shanghai International in 2008.

The airline has submitted an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), under the 2004 U.S.-China Air Services Agreement, to link its Georgia hub with China's financial epicenter.

Gerald Grinstein, Delta's Chief Executive, believes the route will "fill a critical void", and is adamant that the Atlanta-based carrier is best-placed to operate such a service.

"As the airline serving more worldwide destinations than any other carrier, and as the steward of the world's largest airline hub in Atlanta, we are confident that this new route will provide a significant boost to trade and tourism worldwide, and unparalleled access for customers traveling to and from China," he said.

Specifically, the new route would remedy "the lack of service between the south-eastern U.S. and China, and the lack of U.S. carrier-service between the eastern U.S. and Shanghai," Grinstein added.

The most populous city in the world's most populous country, Shanghai is the powerhouse of a burgeoning economy and a vital destination for Atlanta, the Delta Chief Executive concludes.

United Airlines was tentatively awarded the right to connect Washington Dulles and Beijing by the DOT earlier this month, denying American Airlines, Continental Airlines, and Northwest Airlines, which each tabled bids.

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