Updated: 2/26/20, 12:35 p.m.
Hawaiian Airlines announced Wednesday that it is suspending its flights to South Korea starting March 2 and extending to April 30 in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak in that country.
“We believe a temporary service suspension is prudent given the escalation of COVID-19 in South Korea and the impact the illness has had on demand for leisure travel from that country,” said Peter Ingram, president and CEO at Hawaiian Airlines.
“We will continue to closely monitor the situation and extend our support for public health efforts to contain the virus. We apologize for this inconvenience and are working to support impacted guests.”
Delta Air Lines said Wednesday it will reduce flights to South Korea as concern rises about the spread of the new virus beyond China.
Delta said it will suspend flights between Seoul and Minneapolis after Saturday and running through April 30. Delta also said it will reduce flights from Seoul to Atlanta, Detroit and Seattle to five times a week. The airline said last fall that it was operating about 28 flights per week on those routes.
Hawaiian Airlines flies nonstop between the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport and Incheon International Airport in Seoul fives times weekly.
The last flights before the suspension will leave Honolulu on March 1 and arrive in South Korea on March 2. The final flight from Seoul will depart March 2 and arrive in Honolulu on the same day. Service will then resume on May 1 from Honolulu and May 2 from Seoul, the airlines stated.
Hawaiian is helping rebook passengers impacted by the suspension, accommodating them on other flights or by issuing refunds.
Those with tickets on Hawaiian codeshare flights to and from South Korea airports are being issued travel waivers. More information is available on the airlines website.
Passengers can also call Hawaiian's reservation line at 800-367-5320.
Delta, United Airlines and American Airlines have already suspended all flights to and from mainland China and Hong Kong. United said this week that demand for service to China had disappeared, and that March bookings for flights elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region had plummeted 75% since the outbreak.
Several airlines in Asia and the Middle East have suspended flights to other Asian countries besides China. The list includes Korean Air, Japan Airlines and Philippine Airlines. Singapore Airlines, hurt by weak demand, has suspended flights to several destinations in the U.S. and Europe.
Shares in the U.S. airlines that fly to Asia have been hammered — they have been among the biggest losers during this week's stock market downturn.
The Associated Press contributed to this story. This is a developing story. Please check back for upates.
