BEIJING - It wasn't long ago that Air Canada was considering lauching direct flights from Vancouver into Guangzhou, which would've been the third mainland destination for Canada's national carrier.  Last summer, Air Canada bumped up its Vancouver to Beijing flight frequency to two direct flights per day.

Now, this all seems like a distant memory.

Air Canada has announced that rather than increase flights into China, it has begun scaling back.  I was sent an email from the company making the announcement, which was also covered in the Vancouver Sun:

The airline announced Friday that effective Oct. 26, it will fly from Vancouver to Beijing three times a week and from Vancouver to Shanghai four times.  It currently offers a daily service to both Chinese cities.

The service reduction worries B.C. tourism officials trying to boost the number of Chinese visitors to the province.  Travel to B.C. will be showcased to media and tour operators in Beijing this summer during the Olympics.

The good news is flights to Vancouver remain well-serviced by China Eastern Airlines and Air China.  However other carriers have also been running into problems.  Oasis Airlines, which flew daily direct flights between Hong Kong and Vancouver, stopped flying on April 9 and formally closed its business just last month.  And according to the Vancouver Sun, Cathay Pacific has also announced it will scale back its service between Hong Kong and Vancouver from 27 flights per week to 21.

With the price of oil expected to hit $150 a barrel, more of these kinds of announcements can probably be expected.