Air China Says More Chinese Travelers Are Being Denied U.S. Visas
Photo Credit: Air China, one of the world's only Boeing 747-8 operators, is having trouble filling seats on some U.S. routes. It suspects fewer Chinese tourists are being granted U.S. visas. Air China
Skift Take
There's no public data here, so it's hard to know how much of an issue this is. But generally, inbound tourism to the United States is important, so if fewer visas are being granted, it's probably not good for American businesses.
Since the Trump administration began in January, Air China has seen a significant reduction in demand for U.S. flights and may have to reduce some capacity, its top executive for North America said Tuesday in an interview.
Of significant concern is what the airline believes is a notable decrease in the number of Chinese visitors approved for U.S. visas, said Zhihang Chi, Air China's vice president and general manager for North America. Another issue, he said, is ethnic Chinese living in the United States who might be avoiding returning to China for vacation because they fear they'll be hassled by U.S. border officers when they return.
For the visa issue, U.S. officials will not share numbers with the airline, but Chi and his colleagues suspect about 15 to 16 percent of potential travelers are having their applications denied. In the Obama administration, he said, denial rates were about 10 percent. Air China can calculate a rough rate be
