=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SFGate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2004/06= /11/BUG997435H1.DTL --------------------------------------------------------------------- Friday, June 11, 2004 (SF Chronicle) United resumes S.F.-Beijing flights/Service, suspended 3 years ago, seen as= a lift for SFO, airline David Armstrong, Chronicle Staff Writer After a three-year hiatus, United Airlines restarted its daily service between San Francisco International Airport and Beijing on Thursday. The service had been suspended three years ago after the high-tech implosion, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the war in Iraq and the SARS outbreak in China and East Asia. These combined tribulations helped drive United's parent company, UAL Corp., into bankruptcy and cut down air traffic at SFO, which draws heavily on revenue from transpacific passengers and flights. Airport Director John Martin welcomed the return of the daily nonstop flight. "This service is a great addition. We think there will be many more new flights between San Francisco and China," he said, adding it is especially important to tourism in San Francisco. Airline officials also hailed the flight, a 12-hour journey in a Boeing 777. "San Francisco functions as our most important international hub and gateway," said Daniel Walsh, United's vice president for sales. "The Chinese community in San Francisco is extraordinarily large. We see signs of life in the high-tech sector. Passenger demand is strong." A United spokesman said sample round-trip fares range from $1,115 on economy class to $4,507 in business class. Walsh said the return of Asia-Pacific traffic boosts United's traditionally strong international business and is a key element in its plan to emerge from bankruptcy. Also attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which included a traditional Chinese lion dance at SFO's billion-dollar international terminal, was China's deputy consul-general in San Francisco, Qiu Xue Jun. SFO has been on an upswing lately. Airport officials learned last week that a low-fare carrier planned by Richard Branson, the British entrepreneur and founder of Virgin Group, which operates Virgin Atlantic Airways, has decided to station its pilots, flight attendants and maintenance operations in San Francisco when it begins flying, probably next year. E-mail David Armstrong at davidarmstrong@sfchronicle. com. -------------= --------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2004 SF Chronicle