US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has urged Americans not to worry about the fast-spreading coronavirus and continue to fly on domestic airline routes.
He added that he would fly home to Los Angeles if he wasn’t so busy.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, he said that the Trump administration was ready to provide liquidity to airlines hit hard by travel restrictions and cancellations in light of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Mnuchin said that he is in close touch with the chief executives of US airlines and the administration viewed the ability of airlines to continue to fly as a top priority.
“I think the airlines want to make sure that they can continue to provide domestic travel. They also want to make sure that they keep as many workers employed as they can,” he said.
“If I weren’t so busy working I would be going home to Los Angeles and I would be perfectly comfortable getting on a commercial plane this weekend. Despite the fact that we told people to shut down travel a little bit, people can travel in the domestic US,” he said.
Mr Mnuchin's comments come just a day after a passenger flew from New York's JFK International Airport to Palm Beach in Florida, knowing he was unwell, only to receive a text message confirming he had the coronavirus during the flight.
The passenger has been banned by JetBlue, who operated the flight.
“Last night’s event put our crewmembers, customers, and federal and local officials in an unsettling situation that could have easily been avoided, and as such, this customer will not be permitted to fly on JetBlue in the future,” the airline said on Friday.
NBC News reports that passengers on the plane were held on the tarmac at Palm Beach International Airport for two hours before they were eventually released and told to monitor themselves for any symptoms.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has warned that airlines could collapse if the coronavirus crisis lasted another two or three months.
IATA Chief Alexandre de Juniac told Reuters that revenue losses internationally would be “probably above” the $113bn figure the group had forecast a week ago, before the Trump administration’s announcement of US travel curbs on much of continental Europe.
The Europe travel ban is causing a headache for airlines and travellers alike, as the number of passengers rebooking and cancelling travel plans overwhelms systems.
In addition, airlines have had to completely revise their schedules.
American Airlines will reduce international capacity for the summer season by 34 per cent, including a 50 per cent reduction in April transatlantic capacity. Flights to and from Europe will continue to operate for up to seven days to ensure customers and employees can return home. There will also be a reduced service to South America, including a suspension of flights to Argentina.
Delta Air Lines will suspend flights to continental Europe from Minneapolis, Portland, Indianapolis, Orlando, Raleigh, and Salt Lake City — these cities connect to Delta's European hubs in Paris and Amsterdam.
United Airlines is cagier about which routes would be suspended, but told Business Insider that it wants to maintain daily service to as many UK, Ireland, and continental European destinations as possible. It will continue to serve London with 18 daily flights.
United also said on Thursday that it had borrowed $2bn to cope with the disruption caused by the pandemic.
