American Airlines cancels all U.S.-China flights after lawsuit from pilots over coronavirus
American Airlines canceled all flights to mainland China Friday, one day after its pilots sued the airline.
American announced it is halting all flights between the U.S. and the Chinese cities of Shanghai and Beijing beginning Friday through March 27. The company faced a lawsuit from the Allied Pilots Association in Dallas County, Texas. It was filed Thursday after American announced it would reduce service to China but continue to fly there from Dallas and Los Angeles.
The company will continue flights to Hong Kong from both its main hub airport in Dallas/Fort Worth and Los Angeles International Airport.
On Thursday the U.S. State Department issued a Level 4 travel warning against travel to China — the highest level. On Friday, nearly 10,000 people had been infected, and more than 200 deaths had been reported, according to NPR.
Delta Airlines announced Friday it will halt all flights to China starting on Feb. 6 through April 30. United Airlines said it is suspending flights to mainland China from Feb. 6 until March 28 and will continue to operate one daily flight between San Francisco and Hong Kong. Cruise lines have canceled some upcoming itineraries from China.
American Airlines is the largest carrier at Miami International Airport. There are no nonstop flights from Miami to China.
On Monday, Miami International Airport began screening travelers for potential cases of coronavirus under the direction of the CDC. The MIA screening station is one of 20 at ports and land border crossings across the country.
This story was originally published January 30, 2020 at 5:24 PM.
