The airport's expansion means more international airlines are obtaining coveted landing slots in Beijing (e.g. Continental Airlines and American Airlines). New transpolar routes are also being pioneered that shave hours off the journey to North America, such as Air Canada's direct Beijing-Toronto flight - which avoids the Vancouver layover - and Continental's Beijing-Newark connection. Domestic travelers tired of paying high prices may be heartened by the launch of China's first low-cost airlines, Okay Airways, which flies out of Tianjin's Binhai International Airport, about ... er ... 200 kilometers from the capital.
If you need to get airborne, call one of the following carriers or a travel agent (see p509-510)
Aeroflot Apartment Building, Swissotel, 2 Chaoyangmen Beidajie, Chaoyang District. (65002412) www.aeroflot.com
Air Canada Rm C201, Lufthansa Center, 50 Liangmagiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (64682001) www.aircanada.com )
Air China Xidan Minhang Building, 15 Xi Chang'an Jie, Xicheng District. (800 810 1111) www.airchina.com.
Air France Rm 1606-1611, Bldg 1 Kuntai Intl. Mansion, 12A Chaowai Dajie, Chaoyang Distirct. (4008 808 808) www.airfrance.com.cn/cn
All Nippon Airways N200, Fazhan Dasha, 5 Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District. (800 820 1122, 6590 9191) www.anaskyweb.com/ cn/c/index.html
Asiana Airlines 12/F Building A, Jiacheng Plaza, 18 Xiaguangli, Dongsanhuan Beilu, Chaoyang District. (400 650 8000) http://cn.flyasiana.com/
Austrian Airlines Rm 603-604, Lufthansa Center, 50 Liangmagiao Lu, Chaoyang District. (6464 5999) www.aua.com