Coronavirus: What air passengers should know
The coronavirus has now become a global concern, with over 100 deaths and almost 6000 cases so far confirmed in mainland China. With the rapid spread of the virus, airlines have had to cancel flights, passengers must be screened, and travel restrictions have been put in place in an attempt to control the situation.
Travel Restrictions
All flights to and from Wuhan (the city in China where the first case was detected) have been cancelled, cross-border travel will soon be stopped between Hong Kong and mainland China, and travellers are advised to avoid any non-essential travel to China.
Passengers who fly from Wuhan are now to be placed in quarantine when arriving at their destination countries and plans have been announced to evacuate British citizens soon. US, Japanese and Turkish citizens are to be evacuated today.
Airlines react to spread of virus
In a response to the coronavirus, British Airways has suspended all flights to mainland China and United Airlines has cut a number of flights to mainland China and Hong Kong.
United Airlines have stocked planes flying to Chengdu, Beijing and Shanghai with virus response kits, also providing staff with face masks if they have layovers in the country.
For passengers with tickets to China with US Airlines, there is some good news – the airlines are allowing customers to change these flights free of charge until the end of next month. British Airways is also giving customers with tickets to or from mainland China and Hong Kong the possibility to change flights for free or cancel their flights and receive a ticket refund until February 23rd. Furthermore, hotels in China are offering full refunds for guests who have booked to stay with them.
Other airlines who are currently offering refunds are Air China, China Southern Airlines and China Eastern Airlines, but this is dependent on when the flights were booked.
Virus outbreak: Current situation
At the time of writing, there have been 4 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Europe, 1 in Germany and 3 in France and the virus has spread to 19 countries in total.
As previously mentioned, it is strongly advised not to travel to China unless absolutely necessary and there are actions in place, such as quarantines and evacuations, to curb the spread of the virus.
Top image: Adobe Stock
Latest posts
Passenger rights - ECJ rulings shed light on compensation for flight delays
In recent judgments, the ECJ addressed critical questions regarding passenger compensation in cases of flight delays.
Prepare for a flight with MYFLYRIGHT – Destination Copenhagen
With these tips, your upcoming adventure to Copenhagen promises to be an unforgettable escapade filled with discovery and exploration.
Flying with a cold - How to avoid ear pressure and what to do if the pressure persists
What can you do to prevent this pressure and how should you react if the pressure in your ears doesn't go away after the flight?
About MYFLYRIGHT
MYFLYRIGHT is a legal tech company, specialized in the support of airline passengers affected by flight delays, flight cancellations, denied boarding, delayed or lost luggage and the refund of unused airline tickets. MYFLYRIGHT was founded 2016 in Hamburg, Germany. The company operates out of 3 offices, its headquarter in Hamburg and its branches in Prague, Czech Republic and Zaporizhia, Ukraine. Currently, MYFLYRIGHT employs a team of around 25 people working in Marketing, Operations, Legal, Customer Support and IT. The organization operates across 5 markets – Germany, United Kingdom, Romania, Austria, and Switzerland.
MYFLYRIGHT’s goal is to provide access to justice for all aviation passengers who experience irregularities in their flight transportation. Notably, 75% of all compensation requests submitted by passengers get rejected. Whereas, MYFLYRIGHT is able to successfully execute the applicable customer claims in more than 98% of cases at court.
Check your passenger rights
Flight delay
Flight cancellation
Denied boarding
Lost luggage
Ticket refund
*less our commission
