QINGDAO -- Xiamen Airlines, a subsidiary of China Southern Airlines, launched a direct service from Qingdao in East China's Shandong province to Los Angeles on Monday.

This is the first non-stop service linking the two cities and Xiamen Airlines' ninth intercontinental air route.

A 287-seat Boeing 787 will operate three round trip flights a week. The flights take about 11 hours 30 minutes each way.

The new service, in addition to an earlier route linking Qingdao with San Francisco, is expected to help boost trade and cultural exchanges between Shandong province and the United States, the company said.