“We will allow Chinese carriers to operate the same number of scheduled passenger flights as the Chinese government allows ours,” the DOT said in a statement that announced the order that was slated to go into effect on June 16.

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The Transportation Department order said the administration believes Chinese carriers are using charter flights to circumvent China's limit of one flight per carrier per week to the United States and "further increasing their advantage over U.S. carriers in providing U.S.-China passenger services." The Transportation Department said it hopes the move leads to an "improved environment" for carriers of both countries, rather than long-term restrictions. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries.

One such move was to conduct temperature checks before taking off instead of while the flight was in transit. The U.S. Department of Transportation will allow Chinese carriers to fly as many as two round trips a week between the two countries. Check Airport Status and Delays.

Affected airlines included Air China, China Eastern Airlines, China Southern Airlines, and Hainan Airlines, among others. See: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/notification-and-order-disapproving-schedules.

The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Chinese officials responded on Thursday by easing their restrictions in a way that will allow Delta and United to conduct one weekly round-trip flight. So on Wednesday, the Transportation Department determined the Chinese government was violating an international travel agreement between the two countries, and said it would soon restrict Chinese flights into the US. After China did not agree restore US flights in June, the US had threatened to bar all Chinese passenger flights. If the number of passengers testing positive reaches 10, then the suspension would last four weeks.

China Eases on Ruling Against Foreign Flights After Retaliatory Order From Department of Transportation this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.

This action responds to the failure of the Government of the People’s Republic of China to permit U.S. carriers to exercise their bilateral rights to conduct passenger air service to China. DOT would reconsider or revoke the action. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS

Meanwhile, if the number of passengers testing positive reaches five, the CAAC will enact a weeklong suspension of the airline’s flights, according to China’s official Xinhua News Agency.

Offers may be subject to change without notice. However, the DOT concession doesn’t completely restore Chinese airlines’ right to fly to the U.S. because, said the department in its June 5 ruling, the Civil Aviation Administration of China’s revised notice continues to preclude U.S. carriers from fully exercising their rights under the 1980 civil aviation agreement between the two countries. Moreover, said the DOT, the restriction of U.S. carriers to two flights a week fails to prove “equality of opportunity,” given that Chinese carriers can each operate as many as four weekly flights to the U.S. under certain incentives tied to China’s order. However, U.S. carriers suspended passenger flights into China in early February due to declining demand, meaning the order prevented them from reinstating service, while Chinese airlines could maintain service to and from each foreign market served as of the March 12 baseline date, including the U.S. Chinese airlines can continue operating four scheduled passenger flights per week to the U.S. after the Department of Transportation on Monday lifted earlier restrictions on air access over a dispute with China about treatment of U.S. airlines