How to get there? Start by figuring out how to get home.

2009 was supposed to have been the year the US-China air market finally opened up to vigorous and diverse competition. But the global economic crisis changed many plans on both sides of the Pacific, and by the end of the year there were even fewer travel options than at the beginning.

In 2010 we are finally beginning to see improvement:

1. •Delta has announced new Seattle-Beijing, Detroit-Hong Kong, and Detroit-Seoul nonstops to start in the June.
   

2. •Hainan Airlines is preparing to start Beijing-Honolulu nonstops, and added a 4th weekly trip on Beijing-Seattle.
   

3. •The US and Japan have completed an “open skies” treaty, which will allow unlimited flights and more carriers to compete, eventually leading to lower transpacific fares.
   

4. •American Airlines was to finally start Chicago-Beijing flights in Spring.
   

5. •China Eastern Airlines announced in April 2010 their intention to join the SkyTeam alliance, an important step to making Shanghai an effective Pacific connecting hub.
   

Whether these developments will help adoption travelers depends on how the new flights are scheduled. Most recent route development has taken place out of Beijing and Shanghai. However, you will be departing from Guangzhou. Let’s examine your options from there for Summer 2010:

1. •Delta was the only US carrier serving Guangzhou with its own aircraft, but dropped service in February 2009. However, they are code-sharing with fellow SkyTeam partner China Southern (Guangzhou’s hometown airline) on that carrier’s 5-times-per-week nonstop to Los Angeles. The flight leaves Guangzhou at 9 pm, and arrives L.A. at 6:50 pm, allowing for same-day connections to a number of Eastern, Midwest, and West Coast cities - although the East Coast and Midwest flights are “red-eye” overnight services. Using those overnight flights for early-morning transfers at Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis, or Atlanta, almost every city in the 48 states can be reached. Delta does offer adoption fares. This map shows the same-day possibilities through Los Angeles on Delta-coded flights (click for full-page view):
   

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4. •Delta will also start Beijing - Seattle nonstops in June. The original schedule would have allowed excellent mid-day connections from Guangzhou through Beijing to Seattle, but as finally slotted, still requires homebound travelers to stay overnight in the capital.
   

5. •Japan Air Lines’ afternoon nonstop to Tokyo gets in too late to make conections to North America, and you can’t take your child outside the airport’s security zone. They don’t offer adoption fares anyway, so scratch JAL from your list.
   

6. •All Nippon Airways (ANA) has a 9:05 am nonstop to Tokyo, but it’s still too late to make the afternoon bank of North American flights on ANA and their partners United, Continental, and Air Canada. Again, ANA does not offer adoption fares, and your child can’t stay overnight in Japan on a Chinese passport.
   

7. •Korean Air offers two departures most days to their hub at Seoul (9:15 am and 2:15 pm) which connect to many US and Canadian cities. Korean Air offers adoption fares, and is a member of SkyTeam, so you can earn Delta SkyMiles and get through-ticketing on Delta flights to your final destination. Korean Air also serves the most Chinese cities of any foreign carrier, so they’re a solid option for your inbound trip. Plus, Delta’s new Seoul - Detroit service is perfectly timed to connect with the 9:15 departure from Guangzhou, and through Detroit, almost every city in the Midwest and East Coast can be reached by the end of the day. This map shows the same-day homeward possibilities on Korean Air-coded flights (click for full-page view):
   

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10. •Asiana is the other Korean carrier offering connections through Seoul, again with two flights out most days (9:25 am and 12:50 pm) which connect same-day to a number of Star Alliance hubs in North America. As Asiana is a partner with United and Air Canada, you can get through-ticketing to many other cities. We have heard adoption fares are available. This map shows the same-day possibilities on Asiana-coded flights (click for full-page view):
    

                                           

1. •Hainan Airlines is China’s 4th-biggest carrier, and offers a morning flight from Guangzhou which connects to their Beijing-Seattle 4-days--per-week nonstop. While Hainan does not offer adoption fares, they are often very competitive, and do have through-fares on Alaska, Continental, and American to many US destinations. Hainan’s service from Seattle to Beijing does connect solidly with a number of “adoption cities” in China, so they represent a strong option, and have been building a loyal family-travel clientele. This map shows the inbound / outbound service available (click for full-page view):
   

                                           

1. •United has received authority to fly Guangzhou-San Francisco, but it doesn’t look like they’ll start service for several years. United does code-share with Star Alliance partner Air China on their 8:00 am and 10:00 am flights to Beijing, which connect to nonstops to several United hubs, as well as the Continental hub at Newark. (Canadian readers, the Air Canada services to Toronto and Vancouver also connect with these flights.) The Star Alliance gateway at Beijing also offers good same-day inbound connections to “adoption cities” on Air China, and United does offer adoption fares. Click on the map for more detail:
   

                                           

Connections through Shanghai are a problem. While American (to Chicago,) Continental (to Newark,) and China Eastern (to Los Angeles) all offer well-timed afternoon departures, those flights leave from Shanghai’s international airport, Pudong (PVG). But nearly all flights from Guangzhou - all that you might code-share on - arrive at Shanghai’s domestic airport, Hongqiao (SHA), clear across the city. Think of arriving in Baltimore and having to connect to a flight in Washington - and that’s why we take these flights off our options list.

Finally, Hong Kong is close enough to Guangzhou that you’ll want to consider using its options. There are a couple of flights between the two cities, but even easier are the many fast trains. There is even fast ferry service which leaves just downriver from Shamian Island. You can pick up Hong Kong visas at the border, and we’ve heard some families like to visit the Disneyland there before flying home.

1. •Hong Kong’s hometown carrier Cathay Pacific is part of the oneworld alliance, and partner American codeshares many of their flights. From HKG, Cathay Pacific offers double-daily nonstops to several key North American hubs. Click on the left-hand map below for detail.
   

1. •United / Continental also offer morning nonstops to North America, and United and Delta/Northwest have morning flights to Tokyo which connect to even more destinations. These options are shown on the right-hand map below.
   

                   

   

Now you can think about how to get there.

If you’re thinking about spending a few days in Beijing, Shanghai, or Hong  Kong on the way in - to be a tourist before connecting with your child, and to get used to the time and climate - you’re in luck. Delta, United, and Continental all fly into each of these three cities. You can usually get a ticket into one city and out of another (a “circle fare”) for about the same price as a roundtrip from just one city alone.

With Cathay Pacific and China Southern, you would have to connect through Hong Kong / Guangzhou no matter what.

The timing of transpacific flights means you will make landfall in whichever major coastal city you’re arriving in at the end of the night. You’ll have an overnight stay, at a minimum, before proceeding to your adoption placement city. So again, you have an excuse to stretch your legs and look around for a while.

Once you’ve made your choice -

Sign up for your airline’s frequent flyer program!

The mileage you’ll bank on a China roundtrip may be well enough to earn you elite status for when you get home. 

1. •Delta, China Southern, and Korean Air (and soon, China Eastern) are all members of the Skyteam alliance, so be sure to have a SkyMiles account if flying any of them.
   

1. •United is a member of the Star Alliance, along with ANA-All Nippon, Asiana, Continental, Air China, and Shanghai Airlines. These carriers would feed your Mileage Plus or OnePass account.
   

1. •Cathay Pacific and its sister carrier Dragonair, plus Japan Air Lines, are members of the oneworld alliance with American Airlines. Your AAdvantage account will work with these companies.
   

Invest in your in-flight kit --

A 777 looks big on the outside, but once inside, you’re stuck with 100 people in a section of the airplane about the size of your bedroom. The westbound flight is long, and you’ll usually have daylight all the way over. So you will be wanting the eyemask and noise-cancelling headphones, plus your electronic media device of choice. Pick up granola bars and healthy snacks for your carry-on bag.

Choose your seats wisely (if possible) --

It may well be the case that you’ll have to take what seats you can get, as Pacific flights have high load factors and you won’t have the luxury of booking well in advance. But if you do have choices, pull up Seatguru.com and select your airline and aircraft. They do a great job of showing you where your seats are relative to restrooms and exits, which seats don’t recline or have extra legroom, and other things you wouldn’t have thought about...