You can put this one in the ‘very weird’ file. A passenger on an American Airlines flight was removed on Thursday after boarding his flight with a military style gas mask.
For real, a gas mask? Sigh. pic.twitter.com/uQ0BYSJghe
— Joseph D S❄️ (@ThePlatypusesTX) January 31, 2020
American Airlines later tweeted that they “worked with local officials to address the issue.” We’re guessing that it probably means that they removed the man from the flight.
Corona Virus is no joke
Beyond poor choices in safety gear, the flu-like Corona virus is leading to some unprecedented ripple effects in the aviation industry. American Airlines, Delta Airlines, and United are all suspending flights to mainland China in response the growing crisis. Outside of war or governmental instability, there has never been a suspension of service to an entire nation on this scale.
In addition, the United States government has banned any foreign national from entering the US if they have traveled within China over the previous 14 days. In addition, any US citizen who traveled within China will face a health inspection upon return and be asked to self-quarantine for 14 days after arrival. The State Department has advised citizens to avoid all travel to China based on the risk of contracting the Corona virus.
.@StateDept is increasing the #China Travel Advisory to Level 4 – Do Not Travel. This is due to the spread of the novel #coronavirus throughout China & the @WHO determination that the outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. https://t.co/BIIUdavoP0
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) January 31, 2020
While US carriers have suspended air service to/from China due to safety concerns but foreign carriers are still allowed to fly into the US from China. Beginning Sunday Feb 2nd, carriers will be restricted to just 7 US airports who will have additional screening technology available. They include Seattle, New York’s Kennedy, Chicago O’Hare, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Honolulu. While we don’t have confirmation yet, it is assumed that flights to secondary US cities like San Jose, California or Boston from China will either be suspended or diverted.
