Frequent flyers will soon have new award redemption options to China. The U.S. Department of Transportation reports that a new agreement between China and the U.S. will double the number of passenger flights between the two countries over the next few years.

A prior agreement limited the number of non-stop flights between the U.S. and China to 10 per day to China on U.S. carriers and three per day to the U.S. by Chinese carriers.

According to Dow Jones Newswires: “…the U.S. agency will choose among the airlines for one new route to begin flying this year, another route in 2008 and four new routes in 2009.” Of the “big six”, only Delta and US Airways don’t currently fly to China and have applied to operate new service.

The applications for new nonstop routes include: Northwest Airlines between Detroit and Shanghai beginning in 2007 and between Detroit and Beijing beginning in 2009; Delta has applied for service from Atlanta to Shanghai in 2007 and to Beijing in 2009; United has proposed a new route between San Francisco and Guangzhou in 2008 and between Los Angeles and Shanghai in 2009; Continental has applied to begin service from Newark to Shanghai beginning in 2009; American has applied to fly between Chicago O’Hare and Beijing starting March 25, 2009; US Airways filed an application to fly between Philadelphia and Beijing beginning March 2009. If you would like to see any of these proposed routes go through for your favorite airlines, most airlines have a petition of support you can sign through their Web site.