RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – American Airlines has announced in a statement that all flights to South America, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Europe will be cancelled from Monday, March 16th. The measure is expected to last until May 6th.
Among the services affected are flights from Miami and New York to Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. The route between Dallas and São Paulo has also been suspended. Flights between Miami and Manaus and between Miami and Brasília were among the other suspended services announced by the US company.
These decisions are all a result of the coronavirus crisis, which caused Donald Trump’s government to close the border with all European countries.
Short international flights, which include Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central America and some markets in the northern part of South America, will continue to operate through Boeings 737 and 757 and Airbus A319, A320 and A321.
In all, the company said it would reduce its international flights by up to 75 percent. In addition to Brazilian cities, the company has suspended flights to other South American destinations, such as Lima (Peru), Santiago (Chile), Medellín, Cali and Bogotá, in Colombia, and Guayaquil (Ecuador).
According to American Airlines, the affected customers will be notified and have the flexibility to reschedule flights free of charge. They will also have the option of a refund for tickets purchased.
Below is a complete list of cancelled flights:
Asia – American Airlines will suspend all remaining flights to Asia except three flights per week from Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) to Tokyo – Narita (NRT)
Australia and New Zealand – Los Angeles (LAX) to Auckland (AKL); LAX to Sydney (SYD)
Europe (phased suspension) – American Airlines will continue to operate a daily flight from DFW to London Heathrow (LHR) and Miami (MIA) to LHR;
Flights from New York (JFK), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD) and LAX to LHR will be decreased gradually over the next seven days to re-accommodate passengers and crew;
LHR, Dublin (DUB) and Manchester (MAN) flights from Charlotte (CLT), Philadelphia (PHL) and Phoenix (PHX) will be suspended as soon as possible.
Suspensions continue in other parts of Europe, such as Amsterdam (AMS), Barcelona (NCBs), Frankfurt (FRA), Madrid (MAD), Munich (MUC) ), Paris (CDG) and Zurich (ZRH).
South America:
Suspending JFK and MIA service to Rio de Janeiro (GIG) and Georgetown, Guyana (GEO)
Suspending DFW, JFK and MIA service to São Paulo (GRU)
Suspending DFW and MIA service for:
Chile: Santiago (SCL)
Colombia: Bogotá (BOG)
Ecuador: Guayaquil (GYE) and Quito (UIO)
Peru: Lima (LIM)
Suspending MIA service to:
Brazil: Brasília (BSB) and Manaus (MAO)
Colombia: Barranquilla (BAQ), Cartagena (CTG), Cali (CLO), Medellin (MDE) and Pereira (PEI)