United Airlines to Suspend Some China Flights as Coronavirus Causes Drop in Demand
by Jessica Montevago
United Airlines will suspend some flights to and from China due to a “significant decline in demand,” as the country continues to battle the growing Coronavirus outbreak.
Flight cancellations take effect Feb. 1 and last through Feb. 8, between United’s hub cities and Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. The carrier, which has the most service to China of any U.S. airline, will still maintain some service.
“We will continue to monitor the situation as it develops and will adjust our schedule as needed,” United Airlines said in a statement to Travel Market Report.
The U.S. State Department earlier on Tuesday raised the travel warning to China as the deadly coronavirus outbreak escalates, urging Americans to reconsider travel to the entire country. It increased the warning on Monday from a Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution to Level 3: Reconsider Travel. It follows a Level 4 advisory issued to the Hubei province, where the virus was first identified in the capital city of Wuhan.
The virus, as of Wednesday morning, had killed at least 132 people in China, with another 6,000 infected in more than 10 countries around the world. So far, there has been five confirmed cases in the United States.
