According to multiple sources, the U.S. will suspend flights to Europe for the next thirty days.
President Trump has announced that there will be no air travel, including cargo, will be allowed between Europe and the U.S. However, these restrictions do not include flights to the U.K.. The restrictions will go into effect on Friday, March 13, 2020, and last until Sunday, April 12, 2020. This order comes shortly after the World Health Organization declared the coronavirus, now officially known as COVID-19, a pandemic.
Additionally, the president has said that the Level 4 travel restriction to China could be lifted due to a drop in cases. Currently, there are only two services that currently operate to China from the U.S. These are flights by Air China from Beijing to San Francisco via Los Angeles and Washington-Dulles via New York-JFK.
Many airlines will be affected by the move including American Airlines, Delta Airlines, United Airlines, and European carriers like Lufthansa, Air France, KLM, and others. For example, Lufthansa, who has already canceled 23,000 flights, currently flies to 20 destinations in the U.S. according to Flighradar24 which will be terminated.
The move comes after the three largest American carriers, American, Delta, and United, announced that they would be cutting international flights by at least 15-20%. These carriers have previously announced large reductions in flights to Europe and temporary suspensions in service to Italy, a COVID-19 epicenter.
What are your thoughts on the situation? Do you expect flights to the U.K., South Korea, or Japan to be banned? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
Sourced from the following:
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-says-he-will-ban-all-travel-from-europe-for-30-days
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/11/world/coronavirus-news.html
Update(3/13): The travel ban has been extended to the U.K. and Ireland.
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