American Airlines is canceling flights between Los Angeles and China's two biggest cities during the next two months as the coronavirus spreads in Asia and worldwide.
As U.S. health officials begin to relocate American citizens out of the affected Wuhan region in China, American said it would cancel flights between Los Angeles International Airport and Shanghai Pudong Airport and Beijing Capital International Airport.
American's lights will be canceled between Feb. 9 and March 27, the airline said. American said there was "a significant decline in demand for travel to and from China."
"American's reservations team will contact affected customers directly by email or telephone," said a statement from American Airlines spokesman Curtis Blessing. "We will continue to review our flight schedules to ensure we can accommodate the needs of our customers and will make updates as needed."
The World Health Organization has reported more than 6,000 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus, including 132 deaths. Nearly all those cases are in China, but the illness has spread to 14 other countries, including the United States, Canada, France and Germany.
American's announcement came after United Airlines canceled dozens of flights to China's Beijing, Shanghai and Hong Kong airports on Tuesday. British Airways has also canceled flights between London Heathrow and China due to the impact from the virus.
American also operates a flight between Los Angeles International and Hong Kong, which was not impacted by the announcement Wednesday.
American also operates flights to China from Chicago and DFW Airport. The airline has not made announcements regarding service from DFW.
On Tuesday the CDC announced that it would start screening passengers arriving at DFW International Airport from China for the coronavirus. CDC officials are expected to arrive Wednesday to start screenings, which will include noncontact thermometer readings and visual inspections for heavy breathing and coughing.
The CDC is also recommending that Americans avoid all nonessential travel to China.
