Coronavirus Outbreak Forces US Airlines to Suspend All Flights to China

Airlines across the United States have started canceling all flights to China after the Department of State raised its travel advisory to Level 4 due to the coronavirus outbreak and issued a “do not travel” warning.

American Airlines announced Friday it had heeded the government warning and would suspend all flights to and from mainland China immediately through March 27. The carrier revealed it would still offer flights to Hong Kong for the foreseeable future.

American was pressured by a lawsuit filed Thursday by the Allied Pilots Association (APA), which said the working conditions associated with sending pilots to China were not justifiable and the service needed to be suspended.

The airline initially said it would halt flights to China starting on February 9.

Delta Air Lines and United Airlines also announced Friday they would suspend service to Chinese destinations, but not until February 6. Officials from United said the halted flights are expected to resume by March 28, while Delta canceled the service through April 30.

Last week, carriers throughout the U.S. started issuing travel advisories, waiving change fees and offering refunds for Chinese destinations. The airlines then started suspending and reducing flights earlier this week before announcing all service would be halted.

On Thursday, the U.S. Department of State raised its travel advisory for China to Level 4, and the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak a global emergency.