Restrictions and flight cuts are taking toll on travelers
Airlines face more uncertainty amid slashed routes, reduced revenue
ATLANTA — Millions of travelers are trying to rebook or cancel trips as the coronavirus prompts calls to avoid discretionary travel and airlines cut flights around the world.
International travel is tightly restricted and many travelers are also canceling other trips, causing traffic to slow at the nation’s largest airports after a hectic weekend with travelers rushing to return from Europe.
Adding to travel concerns, authorities said Monday that a security screener at Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International — the world’s busiest airport — tested positive for COVID-19. The Transportation Security Administration said the officer last worked at the international terminal on the morning of March 7, and is now quarantined at home and receiving medical care.
When asked Monday about the prospect of restricting domestic travel, President Donald Trump said “hopefully we won’t have to do that, but it’s certainly something that we talk about every day.”
Airline industry group Airlines for America issued a statement Monday saying the spread of the disease and restrictions on air travel “are having an unprecedented and debilitating impact on U.S. airlines. Carriers have seen a dramatic decline in demand, which is getting worse by the day.” The group called for federal grants, loans and tax relief for airlines.
“We’re going to back the airlines,” Trump said during a news briefing Monday.
Delta Air Lines — the largest U.S. carrier by revenue — has now stopped flying most of its routes from Europe, and is next halting flights on a number of Latin American routes in response to government restrictions there.
Many people are still struggling to reschedule trips and dealing with uncertainty and frustrations with flooded airline phone lines and websites. Some can’t get through on Delta’s phone lines at all.
For travelers trying to return home from overseas, concerns about crowds at airports and on the remaining flights still operating are also heightening anxiety at a time when officials are urging social distancing to prevent spread of the disease.
The U.S. government has banned entry by foreign nationals from Europe, while Americans traveling from Europe are subject to enhanced screening and will be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days upon return.
Delta said Friday it will cut back flights by 40 percent — the largest reduction in its history — and as of this week is eliminating nearly all flights to Europe for the next 30 days.
“Here we have an event that’s triggering a decline in both business and leisure ... the declines have been across the board in both,” said Delta President Glen Hauenstein when the airline announced plans to cut flights across its network.
American Airlines is slashing its international flights by 75 percent.
United Airlines, Delta’s other main rival, is cutting its flights by 50 percent in April and May. Even with those cuts, the company expects planes to be only 20 percent to 30 percent full — “and that’s if things don’t get worse,” United said in a memo to employees Sunday.