Air China offers temporary flights to San Francisco, Washington from Beijing via Los Angeles, New York

China’s national airline Air China has adjusted its US flights from February 11.

Previously, the airline flew daily on Beijing-Los Angeles and Beijing-New York JFK.

From February 11 to March 28, Air China will fly to San Francisco via Los Angeles, and Washington via New York JFK. The change is a result of the coronavirus outbreak in mainland China.

From February 11, the airline will first launch a four-times-weekly service from Beijing to Los Angeles and then to San Francisco on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays using either a Boeing 777-300ER or a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Starting February 12, the airline will add a three times weekly service from Beijing to New York John F. Kennedy International Airport and then to Washington Dulles International Airport on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays using a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.

The changes mean that Air China will be able to keep operating a daily flight to the US while serving four destinations. The airline said it has made these adjustments in order to “meet the needs of passengers who need to travel between China and the US, as well as maintain flight operations to major cities in the US”.

Both Chinese and US airlines have cut flights from or to mainland China amid the coronavirus outbreak, including three major US carriers – United, American Airlines and Delta.

The US has temporarily barred entry to foreign nationals who have visited China in the past 14 days, except immediate relatives of US citizens or permanent residents, according to China’s National Immigration Administration. The US Department of State has also issued a level 4 travel advisory, urging residents not to travel to China.

The US now requires all inbound flights with individuals who have recently been to China to land at one of the 11 designated airports, where, according to the US Department of Homeland Security, enhanced screening procedures as well as “the capacity to quarantine passengers” have been established.

The 11 designated airports include New York (JFK), Chicago (ORD), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), Honolulu (HNL), Los Angeles (LAX), Atlanta (ATL), Washington (IAD), New Jersey (EWR), Dallas Fort-Worth (DFW) and Detroit (DTW).

Air China normally operates scheduled flights to six destinations in the US, including New York (JFK and Newark), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and Washington. Other than the temporary PEK-LAX-SFO and PEK-JFK-IAD services, all the other flights to the US have been suspended.

The table below shows details of the airline’s suspended US services:

A number of other airlines have also suspended or reduced flights to mainland China. Business Traveller Asia-Pacific has been updating the list with the latest information:

More airlines suspend flights to China over coronavirus fears

airchina.com.cn