FORT WORTH -- Thursday marks a historic day for American Airlines and the North Texas region. For the first time, a plane is in the air -- flying from Dallas-Fort Worth to Beijing, China non-stop.
The new link between China and Texas had passengers excited at DFW Airport. There was a little taste of Chinese culture in Terminal D to kick it all off.
It was the third new non-stop flight to China in the last year, and perhaps the most exciting part is the business opportunities it opens up.
China is Texas' largest trading partner, and this new non-stop flight is expected to attract even more business to North Texas. It's expected to have a $200 million economic impact for our region every year. And it gives travelers one more reason to come to North Texas.
"It's amazing because for two years I have to transfer to Beijing, three flights. Right now two stops and directly to Beijing," Yudongun Zhao, a junior at the University of Alabama who's from Beijing.
"We have a vision DFW can be an international business epicenter for the Northern Hemisphere," Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said.
As if that wasn't enough, American's new state of the art 787 Dreamliner took flight for the first time Thursday. It flew from DFW to Chicago O' Hare and has a wingspan the length of 13 cars and state-of-the-art technology.
