Last night, the USA announced sweeping and unprecedented new travel restrictions against foreign nationals who have visited the Schengen Area over the last 14 days. How are U.S. airlines responding to this new travel ban?
For details on the travel ban, please read the post I wrote last night shortly after the President Trump’s White House speech. It’s important to note a couple things. First, the U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and close relatives will still be able to travel to the USA. You can read the full Presidential Proclamation here, which lists the exceptions.
Second, while the President indicated in his speech that cargo would also be banned, he has since clarified on Twitter:
Hoping to get the payroll tax cut approved by both Republicans and Democrats, and please remember, very important for all countries & businesses to know that trade will in no way be affected by the 30-day restriction on travel from Europe. The restriction stops people not goods.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 12, 2020
The proclamation above does not include travel.
How American Airlines Is Responding To European Travel Ban
American Airlines issued a detailed release on the new travel ban. It’s high on word count, but short on details. No additional flight suspensions have been announced yet and AA warns that foreign nationals who have visited Schengen Area, Iran, or mainland China will be denied entry into the USA.
Prior to boarding an American Airlines flight departing to the United States, all customers will be asked if they have visited a country within the Schengen Area, Iran or mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) within the last 14 days. If a customer traveled to a country within the Schengen Area, Iran or mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) within the previous 14 days and is authorized to travel, they must enter the United States through an approved airport.
Foreign nationals who have visited a country within the Schengen Area, Iran or mainland China (excluding Hong Kong and Macau) within the last 14 days will be denied permission to travel to the United States.
How Delta Air Lines Is Responding To European Travel Ban
Delta is extending its travel waiver for European bookings through May 31st (and including the UK and Ireland as well). Those include bookings to, from or via Europe.
Delta also hinted it will make adjustments to service, as warranted, in the days ahead.
Following U.S. government-issued travel restrictions between the U.S. and Europe, Delta has waived change fees for customers traveling to, from or through Europe and the U.K. through May 31. Additional details are available on delta.com.
The safety and health of our customers and employees is always our highest priority. Delta has and will continue to quickly make adjustments to service, as needed, in response to government travel directives. Details will be shared this week.
You will be able to receive a refund if your flight is cancelled, though Delta does not appear to have cancelled lifts yet.
How United Airlines Is Responding To European Travel Ban
In an internal memo to employees obtained by Live and Let’s Fly, United is warning that “these travel restrictions have the potential to impact our European schedule.” Thus far, no additional cutbacks have been announced.
Today President Donald J. Trump signed a Presidential Proclamation, which suspends the entry of most foreign nationals who have been in certain European countries at any point during the 14 days prior to their scheduled arrival to the United States.
These countries, known as the Schengen Area, include: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland. This proclamation does not apply to the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Importantly, while the proclamation also does not apply to legal permanent U.S. residents or immediate family members of U.S. citizens, these travel restrictions have the potential to impact our European schedule.
We will comply with all restrictions, continue to monitor the situation and provide you with the most recent information we have to keep you updated.
Thus far, the travel waiver has not been extended into May like Delta’s.
CONCLUSION
Even 12 hours later, this news is still very much developing. I’d expect further service cutbacks to be announced as soon as tomorrow. It’s is too early to say whether any European service (beyond the UK and Ireland) will be maintained during the ban, though U.S. airlines are better conditioned to continue operations since most flight attendants and pilots are U.S. citizens. A reciprocal ban by the European community would surely doom these flights.
For Europeans and other foreign nationals, note that no refunds have been offered by U.S. airlines…yet.
United is telling me I have to pay the mileage redeposit fee for my flight to Rome on April 10th. Are you serious?
Hang up (politely, of course) and call again. You should get someone to waive that for you if you approach it right.
I had FLL ATH r/t award tickets on DL- no questions asked after requesting the $300 redeposit fee be refunded do to health crisis it was granted in 3 days. And I WILL be back spending more money on Delta bcuz of it.
I booked a flight yesterday to Stockholm with American. The return is on Finnair. Finnair has cancelled service to the US during that period. American still has not updated my return flight yet.
I think the President should have included Americans because the sad fact is that Americans are the ones bring home the virus and affecting other Americans at home.
I think what makes it really hard is what if there are American overseas visiting a family member, and now can’t get home due to being banned? Banning your own citizens from entering their own home country is hard to pull off, even from just a PR perspective.
A smarter move would be to void all U.S. passports for leaving the country unless you have a good reason. Although this, I suspect, is not something he or even Congress can do.
Also, any changes that cannot be made online are difficult to make. Getting ahold of any of the airlines on the phone is next to impossible. AmexTravel has effectively ceased functioning under the pressure.