A United 777-200 takes off from Washington Dulles (Photo: AirlineGeeks | Ben Suskind)
United Airlines is to provide free round-trip flights for medical volunteers wishing to help the frontline fight against the COVID-19 crisis to help treat patients in New York City.
The airline is working with the city’s Mayor’s Fund to Advance New York City, as well as some medical volunteer organizations, to coordinate travel for medical professionals from across the United States.
United is also working with local government agencies and its charity partners to ensure medical professionals are staffed in hospitals best suited to their areas of expertise, as well as to provide them with proper housing and transportation to enable them to offer their services effectively.
Jill Kaplan, United Airlines’ President for New York / New Jersey, said in a press release, “We are profoundly grateful for the extraordinarily talented and selfless individuals who are working around the clock and have an unwavering commitment to support our communities and medical providers at this time of exceptional need.”
“It is our hope that providing air travel at no cost will allow additional dedicated volunteers and first responders the ability to reach the Tri-State area, that has been hit hardest by COVID-19,” Kaplan continued.
New York City has, as of April 3, the most confirmed cases of COVID-19 of any U.S. city, meaning the need for medical volunteers has never been more important.
The airline is hoping to expand the program to allow more volunteers to offer their services first in additional areas in the Tri-State region and beyond.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said: “This generous partnership with United Airlines will ensure medical professionals from across the country can come to New York City to help us in our hour of need.”
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