Where to Find Regular Updates on Coronavirus Flight Cancellations

Taylor Rains January 29, 2020

U.S. government officials have announced a possible ban on flights to China amid the worsening coronavirus outbreak. Thousands of people across 17 countries have been infected, including five confirmed cases in the United States. The spread has prompted the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to issue a China travel warning, cautioning people to avoid the entire country, and the Department of Health and Human Services to expand its virus screening to 20 U.S. airports. Furthermore, airlines in North America, Europe, and Asia have already proactively suspended flights.

This article also contains a number of links to regularly-updated FlyerTalk forum links on airline cancellations, travel waivers, schedule reductions and more. If you don’t find your question answered here or in one of those links, feel free to ask it in FlyerTalk’s Coronavirus Megathread.

U.S. Airlines Suspending Routes

United Airlines

United Airlines announced that flights to Hong Kong and mainland China will be suspended next week, stating they have had a “significant decline in demand for travel to China.” Updated Regularly: United Airline Coronavirus Cancellations, Schedule Reductions, and Travel Waivers

Update 1/30: United Airlines has canceled another 332 flights between its hubs in the U.S. and Beijing, Hong Kong, and Shanghai until March 28th.

American

American has canceled two months’ worth of flights from Los Angeles to Shanghai and Beijing, beginning February 9th and lasting through March 27th. Flights to Hong Kong from both Los Angeles and Dallas are still expected to operate as of now. The airline said in a statement, “We will continue to review our flight schedules to ensure we can accommodate the needs of our customers and will make updates as needed.”

Delta

Delta has reduced its flights to China by 50% from February 6th to April 30th. Currently, the airline serves Beijing from Detroit and Seattle, and Shanghai from Atlanta, Detroit, Los Angeles, and Seattle. Updated Regularly: Alaska Airlines’ Coronavirus Cancellations, Schedule Reductions, and Travel Waivers.

Update 1/31: Delta has suspended all flights to China.

All US airlines are waiving change fees for flights to China.

International Airline Suspending Routes

Many international airlines have announced China flight suspensions, including British Airways, AirAsia, Cathay Pacific, Air India, IndiGo, Lufthansa, and Finnair.

British Airways

British Airways immediately canceled all direct flights between Britain and Shanghai and Beijing after the UK Foreign Office warned against travel to the country. The routes are suspended until January 31st as the company continues to monitor the situation. Travelers can still book flights to mainland China through Hong Kong and other connecting cities. Updated Regularly: The Status of British Airways Flights to Mainland China

Virgin Atlantic

Due to declining demand for flights and the safety and well-being of customers and staff, Virgin announced they will be suspending all flights to Shanghai for two weeks beginning February 2nd.

Lufthansa

Lufthansa and its subsidiaries, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines, have canceled all flights to mainland China until February 29th but will continue to fly to Hong Kong. Updated Regularly: Coronavirus Cancellations and Travel Waivers for Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Brussels, LOT and Other Partners

Finnair

Due to Beijing’s ban on international group travel, Finnair’s flights between Helsinki and Beijing Daxing Airport and Nanjing have been canceled until the end of March. Finnair’s Chief Operating Officer Jaakko Schildt explained, “These cancellations are needed to manage the impacts of the recent suspension of group travel by Chinese authorities, which have a pronounced impact on the load factors of our Beijing Daxing and Nanjing flights.” These specific Finnair routes are popular among travelers due to the short layover time in Helsinki. Flights to Beijing Capital Airport, Shanghai, Hong Kong, and Guangzhou will operate as scheduled.

AirAsia

AirAsia has canceled all of its flights from Thailand and Malaysia to Wuhan, the heart of the coronavirus outbreak.

Cathay Pacific

Cathay Pacific has not completely suspended flights to mainland China but has instead cut its flight frequency from Hong Kong by 50%. Instead of 480 weekly flights, the airline will only operate 240.

Air Canada

Air Canada is also reducing its number of flights. The carrier currently offers 33 weekly flights to China but is cutting a select few due to decreased demand. Updated Regularly: Air Canada Coronavirus Cancellations and Travel Waivers

Indian Carriers

Indian carriers, Air India and IndiGo, are suspending routes until the middle of February. Air India has canceled flights between Mumbai and Shanghai until February 14th, while IndiGo has canceled flights between Delhi and Chengdu until February 20th.

Air France

As of January 30th, all flights to and from mainland China have been suspended until February 9th.

Air Seoul

Korea’s low-cost carrier announced on January 28th that it has suspended all flights to China.

Air Tanzania

Tanzania’s flag airline was slated to begin charter flights to China in February but said those would be postponed.

Egyptair

Starting February 1st, all Egyptair flights to and from China have been suspended.

Ethiopian Airlines

Ethiopia’s government-owned airline gave conflicting updates to its China flights. Originally, Reuters reported that the carrier’s call centers were saying the flights had been suspended, but the airline has since denied those reports.