United Airlines to cut down North American flight schedules due to coronavirus

Thursday, March 5, 2020

United Airlines recently announced its plan to cut down North American flight schedules by 10%. The flights would be rescheduled from this spring itself. The airlines have also stalled hiring new employees, offered current employees voluntary unpaid leave and postponed increment of salary. New hiring suspension excluding critical positions will be in effect at least till 30^th June 2020. In addition, training classes for all newly hired employees might also be postponed. All of these actions have been undertaken in light of the deadly coronavirus outbreak which has resulted in declining demand for flights.

On Wednesday, United Airlines issued a memo to employees declaring the measures undertaken by the airlines in response to the virus spread. The memo makes it clear that the US carriers have also taken a hit by the coronavirus outbreak domestically.

The United Airlines’ memo mentions that the plan to cut down 10% North American schedule will start this April and applies to U.S. and Canada flights. Similar reductions are also being planned for the month of May. The airline has also slashed 20% off its international flight schedules for the same months. The memo reads that the decline of the carrier’s international bookings coupled with lower demand among U.S. travellers marked the necessity of changes in the domestic schedule.  It also assured that the reduced changes are being executed in a way that lowers the impact on their employees and operations.

The memo also says that the airline is reducing the number of frequencies each week. United is also looking for new routes that provide alternative travel options through United hubs. The airline aims to delay start dates for seasonal travel to certain destinations without closing any domestic stations.

The memo has been signed by President Scott Kirby and United Chief Executive Oscar Munoz. United Airlines is the only U.S carrier to have announced domestic schedule reductions cause of coronavirus. The Chicago based airlines are monitoring the situation closely and pledge to update changes according to the demand of the situation.

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