AIR TRAVEL:
But few passengers arriving from US coronavirus epicenter
New York flights land in Orlando but few passengers arriving.
After Gov. Ron DeSantis’ order for all incoming airline passengers from the New York region, now the epicenter of the nation’s COVID-19 crisis, to self-quarantine for 14 days, flights continued to stream in to Orlando International Airport, but with less than a quarter of their usual passenger loads.
During the first three days following DeSantis’ order — Tuesday to Thursday — 135 flights arrived in Orlando from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut carrying a combined nearly 3,000 passengers or an average of about 20 people on each plane. An airport spokeswoman said that represented a capacity of only about 16% for the airliners.
That’s a significant drop in capacity just since last week when OIA Chief Executive Phil Brown at a meeting of the airport board that overall arriving flights had dropped to less than 60% capacity. He said that figure this time of year — March is the airport’s busiest year as families take spring break and business travelers flock to conventions — is typically closer to 87 percent.
“Because we have put in a 14-day self-isolation requirement, you have seen a dramatic reduction in air traffic from the New York City area to the state of Florida,” DeSantis said in a briefing Friday. “If you’re coming from one of the epicenters, we probably think you should follow the directions of your state and local officials, and if they’re telling you to shelter in place, then do that, but don’t come here because we’re trying to protect our folks.”
Another 38 flights were scheduled to arrive from the tri-state area on Friday, barring further cancellations.
Orlando sees its biggest share of arrivals from Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey. John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia Airport also rank in the top 10, according to 2018 data from the airport.
“New York is our largest city pair,” said airport spokeswoman Carolyn Fennell said. “The whole northeast region makes up the largest portion of our service.”
The order announced on Monday was expanded on Friday to include people from New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana driving into the panhandle. DeSantis also suspended new vacation rentals for a two-week period to prevent potentially infected people from traveling to Florida.
Air passengers are required to fill out a Florida Department of Health questionnaire during their flights.
Flight attendants hand out a form that asks for names and contact information of people on board, the purpose of the trip and where the person will stay in Florida. Passengers are asked to sign to acknowledge they understand they could face a $500 fine or up to 60 days in jail if they are found to violate the 14-day self-isolation period, according to a copy provided to the Sentinel.
Brown said health investigators greet arriving flights in masks and gloves to collect the forms. The National Guard is also assisting.
OIA, just a month ago the busiest airport in the state and 10th
busiest in the nation, sunk deeper into hibernation Friday as more flights were canceled and the terminal appeared more desolate. Social distancing was not difficult for passengers who wanted to keep to themselves. Many solo travelers appeared keenly sensitive to keeping at least 6 feet away from anybody else.
A dozen Friday morning flights from the hard-hit New York area with JetBlue, Delta, United, American and Southwest were canceled. Only one, a Frontier flight from Newark, N.J., was shown as still scheduled.
Many arriving travelers spoke of planes flying with just a few passengers. That appeared to be confirmed by the small groups of people followed by several attendants and pilots emerging from shuttles arriving from outlying gates to the main terminal.
For long stretches, no outbound passengers were in line at TSA security checkpoints.
Airport staff members, including ambassadors, remained on duty scattered through the airport.
But information booths had closed down.
Cases of the novel coronavirus have steadily increased in Florida to 2,900 by midday Friday with 143 in Orange County. That’s just a fraction of the cases in New York. Statewide, officials there report more than 44,000 total cases with more than 25,000 in New York City, according to Newsday.
In enacting the order this week,
DeSantis questioned why people were able to freely travel from some of the most infected portions of the country, potentially carrying the disease unknowingly elsewhere.
“People fly all over the place from some of the hot zones,” DeSantis said. “Really? How does that make any sense if we’re trying to contain this thing.”
Any domestic travel restriction would have to come from the Federal Aviation Administration. Local officials like Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, who imposed a stay-at-home order in Orange County this week, cannot regulate flights.
“At this point, I’m not aware of any discussions that FAA or the federal government has about limiting flights to any part of the country,” Brown said.