< Reveal sidebar

Travel Suspended Between U.S. and 26 European Nations

An American Airlines Boeing 787 at LAX (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Ben Suskind)

In an Oval Office address to the nation on March 11, U.S. President Donald Trump announced the suspension of travel between the U.S. and Europe for 30 days in an effort to curb the spread of the coronavirus outbreak. The new travel restrictions will go into effect on Friday at midnight. The new restriction on travel does not include the U.K., which is no longer a member state of the European Union.

The new restrictions apply to most foreign nationals who have been in the Schengen area in the last 14 days according to the Department of Homeland Security. The travel restriction does not apply to permanent U.S. residents and immediate family members of U.S. citizens. 

All affected nations are members of the Schengen area. Schengen is a collection of countries on mainland Europe where there are no border or passport checks. This includes 26 European states: 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. 

American Airlines confirmed to AirlineGeeks that this new directive will impact approximately 14 to 15 daily flights to seven airports in five countries within the Schengen area including France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and Switzerland. Flights affected are scheduled to depart from multiple U.S. hubs including Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami, New York JFK, Philadelphia and Charlotte.

The airline said: “We are in contact with the federal government to understand and comply with this directive. The health and safety of our customers and team members remain our highest priority.”

Delta Air Lines released a similar statement to American, saying: “Delta has and will continue to quickly make adjustments to service, as needed, in response to government travel directives.”

The directive issued by the U.S. government does not restrict aircraft registered in the listed nations from entering U.S. airspace, but crews, in addition to passengers, from the 26 nations listed would not be let in the country. This could create a logistical nightmare for airlines and may lead to route suspensions. 

As of midnight on March 12, no airlines have formally announced any changes to European flight schedules as a result of the new restrictions, however, this is expected to soon change. 

British Airways is suspending its famed Airbus A318 BA1/2 service between New York-JFK and London City as of March 25. The service is scheduled to resume on Sept. 1, 2020, but this date is subject to change.

Mateen Kontoravdis

Author

  • Mateen Kontoravdis

    Mateen has been interested in aviation from a very young age. He got his first model airplane at six and has been airplane spotting since he was nine years old. He has always had a passion for aviation and loves learning about different aspects within the industry. In addition to writing for AirlineGeeks, Mateen is also an editor for his high school’s newspaper. You can also find him on Instagram (@Plane.Photos) where he enjoys sharing his aviation photography with thousands of people everyday.

Subscribe to AirlineGeeks' Daily Check-In

Receive a daily dose of the airline industry's top stories along with market insights right in your inbox.

Related Stories

South African Airways Partial Privatization Plan Terminated

The debate over the partial privatization of South African Airways (SAA) has reached a pivotal juncture. On March 13, 2024,…

5

Interview: Air Greenland CEO Talks Future Network Plans, Fleet Strategy

Air Greenland has an interesting history and an even more intriguing future ahead. With airport expansions taking place around the…

A Decade of Mystery: MH370 Anniversary Renews Search Hopes

This Friday, March 8, 2024 marks the 10th anniversary of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. The Boeing 777-200…