Delta, United and American Airlines to Stop all China Flights
Update: United Airlines has also suspended all flights to mainland China from Feb 6 to March 28.
Delta and American on Friday temporarily canceled all of their China flights in response to the coronavirus outbreak. These are the first domestic carriers to make the move. As of Friday, the outbreak had infected over 10,000 people, most of them in China, and killed more than 200, all in China. Tuesday White House officials said they were considering a China travel ban but said then they had not contacted the airlines.
The U.S. State Department late Thursday elevated its China travel advisory to level 4, recommending that Americans do not travel there. That change followed the World Health Organization’s declaration of a global health emergency over coronavirus.
American cited the State Department’s updated travel advisory Friday in suspending its U.S.-China routes immediately through March 28. The airline said it would contact the affected customers directly to help them make alternate travel arrangements.
Delta Air Lines said it would suspend its U.S.-China flights from Feb. 6 through April 30. Delta usually operates 42 flights a week between its U.S. hubs and China. It said Friday that the last China-bound flight would depart the U.S. on Monday, and the last return flight would depart China on Wednesday.
Earlier Thursday, United Airlines further pared back its U.S.-China flight schedules, extending the cuts through the end of March. Earlier this week, United became the first domestic carrier to adjust its China flights. All three domestic airlines have issued flight waivers for travelers who don’t want to travel to China, allowing them to make changes or cancel without the a fee.
