U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Mary Peters has awarded the Houston airline the route along with three other new daily flights to China to begin in 2009: Dallas-based American Airlines Inc. for Chicago to Beijing; Eagan, Minn.-based Northwest Airlines Corp. for Detroit to Shanghai; and Tempe, Ariz.-based US Airways for Philadelphia to Beijing.

Continental plans to operate the nonstop daily flight with a 285-seat Boeing 777 aircraft. The airline sought the route award as part of an aviation agreement signed July 9 that provides extensive additional air service opportunities between the United States and China over the next six years.

The airline also plans in the future to provide through service between Cleveland and Shanghai.

The DOT said final decisions on these proposed awards will be made in the near future after further public comment.

While a majority of the flights will begin in two years, Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines Inc. which has been awarded a new direct route from Atlanta to Shanghai, and Chicago-based United Airlines, which was awarded a direct route from San Francisco to Guangzhou, will begin flying in 2008.