US airline chief executives met with President Donald Trump and other officials in Washington, DC on 4 March to discuss their industry’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. They also urged Trump to assure the American public that air travel remains safe – a request coming as the industry reels from sagging demand and virus-spooked travellers. “What we all need is the reassurance that you and the vice-president and others have been providing: that travel is safe, and that we can go forward,” Nicholas Calio, CEO of trade group Airlines for America (A4A), tells Trump. “Because, right now, the fear is almost worse than the virus.” United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz asked Trump and federal officials to continue “to project stability”. The meeting came as US airlines slash flights to virus hotspot countries like Italy, Japan and South Korea, and as concern about demand for domestic US travel becomes more acute. In recent days, several major US corporations banned non-essential domestic and international travel, while US airlines eliminated some reservation change and cancellation fees. Executives to attend the meeting were Alaska Air Group CEO Brad Tilden, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, Hawaiian Airlines CEO Peter Ingram, Republic Airways chief administrative officer Matt Koscal and Southwest Airlines head Gary Kelly. Delta Air Lines says its chief, Ed Bastion, did not attend due to a family obligation. Also in attendance were US vice-president Mike Pence, who Trump picked to lead the US government’s coronavirus response, the head of the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and other US officials. “Yes, it’s safe to fly,” Trump says during the meeting. He notes US airlines have already cut or reduced ties to countries with particularly significant virus outbreaks. Pence notes officials in the US and overseas have stepped up screening of passengers for illness. “As of yesterday morning, all passengers on all direct flights from Italy or South Korea are being screened multiple times before they board any of these airlines,” says Pence. “The American people deserve to know that… the risk to the average American of contracting the coronavirus remains low.” n Pence says the US government is working “to determine what additional screening may be required in the United States”. “Our airlines are going to play a key role in preventing the spread of this disease,” he says. During the meeting, DHS acting secretary Chad Wolf said the government is screening incoming passengers at 11 airports. Some 53,000 passengers have already been screened and officials have “prevented a number of folks from coming into the country”, he says. DHS did not respond immediately to a request from FlightGlobal for more information about airport screening. US airline executives told officials they have adopted more thorough aircraft cleaning procedures and taken other virus-prevention efforts. “We have stepped up our efforts to make sure the airplanes are clean and disinfected… and have the proper protocols in place where there is a suspected illness,” Southwest CEO Kelly tells Trump. “We are intensifying the cleaning of the aircraft,” says Alaska’s Tilden. Calio says A4A is working on ways to “better trace passengers” coming into the USA. The group has “contracted to have a mobile app and a website developed that everyone would have to fill out”. He says data collected would be sent to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Source: Cirium

UK regional carrier Flybe, which was beset by financial woes, has ceased operations and filed for administration. The airline has appointed Alan Hudson, Joanne Robinson, Lucy Winterborne and Simon Edel of professional services firm Ernst & Young as joint administrators, a notice on its website reads. “All flights have been grounded and the UK business has ceased trading with immediate effect,” it adds. The latest news came hours after media reports in the UK suggested the carrier was to file for administration after completing its last flights on 4 March. The UK government had rejected Flybe’s request for a £100 million ($129 million) loan, reports indicate. Meanwhile, financial pressure had increased on the carrier in recent days as air travel demand was impacted by the coronavirus outbreak. The carrier appeared to be on the brink of going under in January, before a deal brokered with the UK government prompted investors to pump fresh, limited funding to the struggling carrier. Following Flybe’s collapse, two of its franchise partners, Eastern Airways and Blue Islands, have said their services will continue to operate. In a post on its official Twitter account, Eastern says its services were unaffected. All passengers who have booked Flybe flights operated by Eastern for the rest of the week should “turn up and travel as normal”, it adds. A notice on Blue Islands’ website states: “Blue Islands services will continue to operate as normal, following the closure of Flybe.” Meanwhile, the UK Civil Aviation Authority has weighed in on the collapse, calling it a “sad day” for UK aviation. It urged customers to make their own alternative travel arrangements in light of Flybe’s collapse. For flights operated by franchise partners, passengers should make contact with their airline. Exeter-based Flybe had been planning to rebrand as Virgin Connect, operating as a feeder service for Virgin Atlantic long-haul flights. Flybe assets were acquired in early 2019 by the Connect consortium, comprising Virgin Atlantic, Stobart Group and Cyrus Capital. While the cut-price deal was announced in January 2019, the consortium did not receive European Commission clearance for the acquisition until July 2019. The delay, coupled with other factors, impacted the delivery of the consortium’s turnaround plan – reportedly to the tune of £9 million – for Flybe. Flybe, which was established as Jersey European Airways and later became British European, operates a fleet of over 60 Bombardier Q400 turboprops and Embraer E-Jets.

Source: Cirium

British Airways is temporarily suspending change fees in a bid to counter the coronavirus outbreak's impact on demand.
The airline says in a newly launched campaign: "Flexibility is everything during uncertain times and we're passionate about offering as much freedom as possible." Passengers can "book with confidence as our policy applies right up until departure... without having to pay the normal change fee", BA adds. The initiative applies to bookings made from today until 16 March for flights over the next 12 months. Included in the "zero change fee" campaign are package flight deals with combined hotel and rental car bookings, the airline specifies. Multiple airlines, including BA parent IAG, have implemented cost-saving measures and reduced capacity as a result of the coronavirus outbreak.

Source: Cirium