Matching American Airlines, United Airlines will suspend its final link to Hong Kong for at least the next two weeks.
United Airlines’ final flight to Hong Kong will depart later today from San Francisco (UA877). The final return flight will depart on Friday from Hong Kong (UA862). The route suspension, United’s final link to Hong Kong, will initially run through February 20, 2020.
Hong Kong reported its first death related to coronavirus on Tuesday, only the second coronavirus death outside of Mainland China.
While U.S. travel restrictions do not impact Hong Kong, the Special Administrative Region of China has nevertheless seen a drop in travel over concerns related to coronavirus. Coupled with the civil unrest throughout 2019, Hong Kong finds it economy in recession and air travel demand low.
United is more optimistic than American Airlines. While it plans to resume service on February 20th, American will not resume service until March 28th.
United Closes China Call Center
Buried in a memo to employees about the Hong Kong route suspension was a paragraph that it will temporarily close its contact center in Guangzhou.
Also, our Contact Center in Guangzhou, China has temporarily closed due to the ongoing coronavirus issue. During this closure, we’re working to assist affected customers by providing additional translation services in Mandarin and Cantonese to Customer Contact Centers employees handling those calls.
I didn’t even know United had a call center in China!
CONCLUSION
I tend to think a return to service by February 20th is very optimistic based upon how empty flights have been. As with all coronavirus-related stories, mark this one has developing.
If your flight has been cancelled, contact United for your re-booking options.
> Read More: American, Delta, United Suspend All China Flights
image: Bill Abbott / Flickr
Finally xi has agreed to ban the markets for bats. But not all wildlife?. As in other matters people respond only to incentives of money and life. Only that results in some sensible policy.
I was reading costums in miami intercepted shark fins going from south america to asia. Don’t bloody intercept. Spike it with corona virus and let it go. Then they will stop slaughtering sharks.
OMG debit is a vegan! It’s all making sense now……
I feel bad for those who were clear for Polaris seats. If you just connect via HongKong, it is likely that UA will re-route via other routes, re-book using partners, or refund. Chance is that pax were upgraded will not get the business seats and very hard to get upgrades on other UA flights due to all cancellation/re-routing issue.
Regardless of whether you wanna label them optimistic or pessimist, neither AA nor UA is anywhere near realistic. I would be thoroughly surprised if they can resume by June at all.
The single biggest disinformation the western media helps spread is taking today’s death count and today’s case count, two factual numbers by themselves (sugar-coating and all), then misinterpret it by dividing them and calling it the mortality rate. THAT is the type of “no worry be happy” narrative that leads people to have their guards down.
Have you any word about the effects on United’s Hong Kong-based flight attendants?
As someone who was booked on one of the HKG to EWR flights that was cancelled, I just want to point out how poorly this was handled by United.
I am a 1K who, after a number of years, is moving back from Hong Kong to NYC. I was MEANT to travel on one of the cancelled flights with my young children, family pet, various household goods etc. However, 3 days out from the flight I read IN THE NEWSPAPER that United is cancelling its HK flights. No notice to passengers actually on the affected airplanes. What is worse is when I called United after reading the news and they had no idea what was going on. I challenge anyone to find the announcement on the United web-site notifying customers of this cancellation.
I don’t think United realizes what an absolute disaster they have created for e.g. Americans in HK trying to return home. Thank god Cathay is still running flights.