United's China Route Takes Off

At 12:23 p.m. eastern time on Wednesday, the carrier operated its first ever, non-stop service between Washington, D.C. and Beijing. On hand for the inaugural flight were United's Chairman, President and CEO, Glenn Tilton, Virginia's Governor Timothy Kaine, Minister Zheng Zeguang of the Chinese Embassy and H.R. Crawford, vice chairman of Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority. "Connecting for the first time two of the world's most important cities is a historic occasion with great geopolitical, commercial and cultural promise for citizens of both the United States and China," United's Tilton said. The flight lands in Beijing Capital International Airport at 1:55 p.m. local time on Thursday.