UAL has received permission to fly the Beijing-DC nonstop air route. This will be a big step for linking the two capitals, serving as a practical tie between the US and its banker top Asian trading partner.

A humble plea to United — please put some modern planes on this route, which have personal screens and entertainment systems. United’s trans-Pacific flights from Asia to the US are laughably subpar compared to Cathay, Singapore Airlines, Air Canada and others.