China coronavirus: United Airlines cuts back China flights as disease worsens in Asia
- Carrier cancelling 24 flights from US to Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai amid concerns about virus
- Decision follows US State Department warning to avoid non-essential travel to China
United Airlines said on Tuesday that it was suspending some flights to China as the rapidly spreading coronavirus worsens in Asia.
United, the world’s third-largest carrier, said the decision was made due to “a significant decline in the demand for travel to China”.
From Saturday through February 8, 24 flights connecting the airline’s hub cities – including San Francisco, California; Newark, Jersey; Washington; and Chicago, Illinois – to Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai will be cancelled. The carrier said it would “continue to monitor the situation” and would “address our schedule as needed”.
“Though we have implemented a temporary reduction, we are still operating flights between the US and China to enable customers to continue to travel between the two countries,” the airline, which is based in Chicago, said in an internal letter to its staff.
United operates about 12 flights a day from the US to mainland China and Hong Kong; the cutbacks will reduce those by three or four a day.
The other two US-based carriers that fly to China, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines, said they had not reduced their flights but were closely monitoring the situation, Reuters reported.