American Among Airlines Suspending Flights To China In Wake Of Increasing Coronavirus Cases
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - As the Centers for Disease Control increases the estimate of confirmed U.S. coronavirus cases, American Airlines announced they are suspending some flights to China.
Officials with the Fort Worth-based airline said since the demand for tickets traveling to and from China has sharply declined, they are suspending flights to two Chinese cities for nearly two months.
A statement put out by the airline said, in part --
"American Airlines will suspend travel between Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and Shanghai Pudong Airport (PVG) as well as LAX and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK) from Feb. 9 through Mar. 27, 2020."
The company said members of the reservations team would contact customers directly - either by email or telephone - who have already purchased airlines tickets. Customers can click here to find out the latest American Airlines coronavirus travel alert policies.
American Airlines said it will continue to operate flights to Hong Kong from Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Los Angeles.
On Tuesday, United Airlines announced it was suspending some flights to and from three Chinese cities. While the airline also cited a decline in demand, it only canceled some flights between February 1 and February 8.
British Airways, Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Air India, Lufthansa and Finnair have all also announced plans to slash the number of flights operating to China or stop flying to the country entirely.
Officials confirmed Wednesday that there were more than 6,000 confirmed cases of coronavirus in mainland China, including 132 deaths -- an increase of more than 30% from one day before.
So far, only 5 cases of the virus have been confirmed in the U.S. The CDC is using quarantine stations, including one in Houston and soon to be at DFW Airport, to screen passengers arriving from China.
Symptoms of the coronavirus are similar to the cold or flu and include fever, cough and shortness of breath. Symptoms usually appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 after exposure.