FILE PHOTO – An American Airlines airplane sits on the tarmac at LAX in Los Angeles, California, U.S., March 4, 2019. Picture taken March 4, 2019. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson
February 5, 2020
By David Shepardson
(Reuters) – American Airlines Group <AAL.O> and United Airlines <UAL.O> on Tuesday both said they are suspending all flights to and from Hong Kong.
Hong Kong reported its first coronavirus death on Tuesday, the second outside mainland China. An American Airlines spokeswoman said the airline’s suspension of its Hong Kong flights to and from Los Angeles and Dallas had begun on Tuesday and would continue through Feb. 20.
United Airlines said in response to a drop in demand it would also suspend flights through Feb. 20. The carrier’s last U.S. flight to Hong Kong will depart San Francisco on Wednesday and the last return flight to San Francisco from Hong Kong will depart on Friday.
The announcements mean no U.S. carriers will be flying passenger flights to Hong Kong after this week.
U.S. government restrictions on flights and people who have visited mainland China that took effect Sunday have not impacted Hong Kong. On Friday, American Airlines suspended its flights to and from mainland China through March 27.
United Airlines said on Monday it was moving up its suspension of U.S.-bound flights from mainland China by one day to Tuesday. United said it still plans to resume flights to and from China on March 28.
(Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Chris Reese)
