Hainan Airlines, a unit of HNA Group and mainland China’s only Skytrax Five-Star airline, has just started new nonstop flights between New York City’s JFK airport and the Chinese cities of Chengdu and Chongqing.
Each route will operate twice weekly. With a capacity for over 60,000 passengers per year, it is the only non-stop service offered between New York City and China’s rapidly growing Sichuan province. The new flights are part of HNA’s ongoing strategy to support expanding cultural exchanges between the US and China.
Chengdu is world-famous for its Giant Panda Breeding Center. Visitors to the center can get up-close to observe pandas of all ages from newborns to cubs and mama bears, take guided tours and learn about the animals from experts, get instructions on how to feed the pandas and their cubs, as well as learn about conservation and protecting the pandas and their habitats. In addition to the famous giant pandas, kids and adults alike love seeing the red pandas, swans, peacocks and other wildlife at the park. Extremely popular with tourists, the center gets an average of 3.5 million visitors annually.
In addition to being famous for the cute and fuzzy pandas, Chengdu is the traditional home of Sichuanese cooking. As Asia’s first UNESCO City of Gastronomy, the city is rapidly becoming a must-visit place for global foodies. There are also a plethora of cultural learning opportunities here from the traditional tea houses to over 150 museums for families to visit.
Meanwhile, Chongqing offers visitors a unique spicy cuisine to sample and views of the Yangtze River. Home to the Dazu Rock Carvings and Chinese religious sculptures and carvings that date back to the 7th Century, there’s endless unique offerings for families to explore. Plus, history buffs will be intrigued to learn about the city’s history as the provisional capital of China from 1937 – 1945.
The new flights will run on Hainan Airline’s fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft and the planes for these routes are specially Kung Fu Panda themed, adding an extra fun twist for kids.
Known for exceptional service and luxury perks, the Hainan airlines offers lie-flat sleeper seats and complimentary limo service in business class. They are also partnered with JetBlue and offer connections to a network of over 70 destinations to passengers arriving from JFK.
Courtesy of Hainan Airlines