Airlines around the world are preparing to fly again. Here are their new schedules and routes

Airlines around the world are preparing to fly again. Here are their new schedules and routes
PHOTO: Unsplash

Several months into the global pandemic, situations seem to be looking up for some countries. While most governments are still discouraging travel with ever-expanding travel bans , the travel industry — and everyone, basically — are hoping that soon, there would be a semblance of normalcy returning into the world.

The airline industry for one is starting to make small preparations for summer. A few major airlines have rolled out flight resumption schedules, albeit at reduced capacities, along with reassurances that they’ll be welcoming passengers into safe, hygienic cabins.

Of course, any plan and schedule still hinge on the countries’ recovery timelines, which is why we will continue to update this list regularly. In the meantime, you can revisit your abandoned travel plan, find out if your favourite airline is flying again, and hope for the best.

Disclaimer: At the time of writing, a majority of borders in the world are still closed off and many airports are still not fully operating. Please check the border status of your destination before planning your trip.

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AirAsia

Air Asia has resumed domestic and a few international flights in its Southeast Asian market.

  • AirAsia Indonesia: The budget airline has resumed limited Indonesian operation for Kuala Lumpur-Surabaya and Johor Bahru-Surabaya slated to start May 18. The airline seeks to add more destinations starting June 1.
  • AirAsia Malaysia: Several domestic routes were rolled out for essential travels between May 1 to May 20.
  • Thai AirAsia : Starting from May 1, 2020, Thai AirAsia planes have returned to air for domestic routes.

All AirAsia guests will be required to bring their own mask and wear it before, during and after the flight.

To ensure that the highest standards of safety and hygiene are maintained at all times, AirAsia has enacted several pre-flight and in-flight measures including thorough disinfection of all planes, social distancing starting from check out counters, and temperature checks for passengers and cabin crew.

Read more on the official website in Indonesian, Malaysian, and Thai
For more updates, follow the official account

American Airlines

The airline announced that they’re looking at June and July 2020 to start some of their international flights.

Europe schedules

  • JFK – London (LHR) resumes June 7, 2x per week
  • LAX – London (LHR) resumes July 7
  • ORD – Athens (ATH) resumes July 7
  • ORD – Dublin (DUB) resumes July 7
  • ORD – London (LHR) resumes June 4, 5x per week
  • PHL – London (LHR) resumes July 7
  • RDU – London (LHR) resumes July 7

Latin America schedules

  • JFK – Buenos Aires (EZE) resumes July 7
  • JFK – São Paulo (GRU) resumes July 7
  • MIA – Buenos Aires (EZE) resumes June 4
  • MIA – Rio de Janeiro (GIG) resumes July 7
  • MIA – São Paulo (GRU) resumes June 4
  • MIA – Santiago (SCL) resumes June 4

To prepare for the flight resumption, the airline has introduced a slew of enhanced cleaning procedure and adjusted service.

The cleaning in both customer and crew areas will use a disinfectant approved by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and mask-wearing flight attendants will be distributing sanitising wipes to passengers. Additionally, AA has also now required passengers to wear mask onboard.

Read more about the new schedules on the official website
For more updates, follow the official account

ALSO READ: Singapore Airlines: Tough days ahead despite rights issue

Cathay Pacific

In a statement on its website, Cathay Pacific has rolled out their May and June schedules, reminding users that these new adjustments will be subject to changes made to government travel restrictions in the coming weeks.

May until third week of June schedules

  • Two flights per week : London (Heathrow), Los Angeles, Vancouver, Sydney and Delhi
  • Three flights per week : Tokyo (Narita), Taipei, Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore.
  • Cathay Dragon three flights per week: Beijing, Shanghai (Pudong) and Kuala Lumpur.

June 21-30, 2020 schedules

  • Five flights per week : London (Heathrow), Los Angeles, Vancouver, Sydney
  • Three flights per week: Amsterdam, Frankfurt, San Francisco, Melbourne, Mumbai and Delhi
  • Daily flights: Tokyo (Narita), Osaka, Seoul, Taipei, Manila, Bangkok, Jakarta, Ho Chi Minh City and Singapore.
  • Cathay Dragon daily flights: Beijing, Shanghai (Pudong), and Kuala Lumpur

The airline is doubling down on their precautionary measures with additional disinfecting of their planes and cabins, along with thorough cleaning of their lounges.

To provide peace of mind to passengers, they have temporarily suspended trolley services in First and Business class and serving meals on a single tray; and providing a snack bag and hot snack service in Premium Economy and Economy class.

Hot towels, pillows, blankets, magazines and inflight duty-free sales have also been temporarily suspended.

Read more about the new schedules on the official website
For more updates, follow the official account

ALSO READ: Changi Airport Terminal 4 to close from May 16, following Terminal 2's 18-month closure

Delta Airlines

While Delta Airlines continues to serve US domestic routes, its international service has been slashed significantly. Starting May, it will operate limited flights.

Canada schedules

  • Detroit to Montreal (daily)
  • Detroit to Ottawa (less than daily)
  • Detroit to Toronto (daily)
  • Minneapolis to Calgary (less than daily)
  • Minneapolis to Edmonton (less than daily)
  • Minneapolis to Winnipeg (less than daily)
  • New York-JFK to Toronto (daily)
  • Seattle to Vancouver (daily)

Caribbean schedules

  • Atlanta to St. Croix (Saturday only)
  • Atlanta to St. Thomas (less than daily)
  • Atlanta to San Juan, Puerto Rico (less than daily)
  • New York-JFK to Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (Saturday only)

Central America schedules

  • Atlanta to San Pedro Sula, Honduras (less than daily)
  • Atlanta to San Salvador, El Salvador (less than daily)

Mexico schedule

  • Atlanta to Mexico City (less than daily)

Transatlantic

  • Atlanta to Amsterdam (daily)
  • Atlanta to Paris-Charles De Gaulle (less than daily)
  • Detroit to Amsterdam (daily)

Transpacific

  • Detroit to Seoul-Incheon (less than daily)
  • Detroit to Tokyo-Haneda (less than daily)
  • Seattle to Seoul-Incheon (less than daily)
  • Seattle to Tokyo-Haneda (less than daily)

Delta is making commitment to the new standards of cleanliness onboard. Several special measures have been taken to uphold this, for example, expanding electrostatic sanitising to all aircraft and extensive pre-flight disinfection to all high-touch areas.

The airline also now requires passengers to wear mask at all time, following its new rule regulating mask wear among employees.

Read more about the new schedules on the official website
For more updates, follow the official account

ALSO READ: Covid-19: Scoot & SIA offer cash refund, bonus travel credit

Emirates

Emirates has launched return flights currently serving only London – Heathrow and Frankfurt. These limited routes will only be available to purchase via Emirates website. London route will fly on the May 14, 17, 19, 21, 24, 26, 28 and 31, while Frankfurt route will commence on the May 13, 16, 18, 20, 23, 25, 27 and 30.

The airline reminds users that there are stringent entry restrictions in place upon arrival in Dubai which includes: A mandatory DHA test on arrival, a mandatory 14 day quarantine and a follow up test before release.

Meanwhile, Emirates ensures that all planes are properly sanitised and disinfected upon landing at any  airport, and the cabin crew will be outfitted with protective suits.

Read more about the new schedules on the official website
For more updates, follow the official account

Etihad

The airline announced that they will reintroduce service between Melbourne and London via Abu Dhabi . Weekly flights from Melbourne will commence on May 15, and weekly flights from London will commence on May 21. All Etihad London operations presently will arrive and depart from London Heathrow, Terminal 2.

Melbourne – London weekly schedule starting May 15

Flight Origin Departure Destination Arrival
EY463 Melbourne 21:45 (Friday) Abu Dhabi 05:55 (+1)
EY19 Abu Dhabi 07:15 (Saturday) London 11:50

London – Melbourne weekly schedule starting May 21

Flight Origin Departure Destination Arrival
EY20 London 13:20 (Thursday) Abu Dhabi 23:25
EY460 Abu Dhabi 00:45 (Friday) Melbourne 20:00

Etihad has adopted additional cleaning measures on ground and onboard. All planes are disinfected upon arrival, and all utensils and surfaces are sterilised.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f7Ne5RySlQ[/embed]

The airplanes are also fitted with High-Efficiency Particle Filters (HEPA), which eliminates more than 99.8per cent of all airborne microbes, including dust, germs and pathogens.

Read more about the new schedules on the official website
For more updates, follow the official account

ALSO READ: Airlines flying from Singapore that are offering free date change or refunds for tickets due to coronavirus

Garuda Indonesia

The Indonesian national aircraft recently resume operations and has laid out schedules for both domestic and international flights. However, these will be considered essential flights-only and Indonesian government will require documents before allowing anyone to fly.

International flights May schedules

  • Jakarta – Singapore – Jakarta: May 7 – 31, 2020 (daily)
  • Jakarta – Kuala Lumpur – Jakarta: May 7 – 31, 2020 (3x a week)
  • Jakarta – Hongkong – Jakarta: May 7 – 31, 2020 (daily)
  • Jakarta – Haneda: May 7 – 31, 2020 (2x a week)
  • Haneda – Jakarta: May 7 – 31, 2020 (2x a week)
  • Jakarta – Incheon: May 7 – 31, 2020 (2x a week)
  • Incheon – Jakarta: May 7 – 31, 2020 (2x a week)
  • Jakarta – Osaka: May 7 – 31, 2020 (2x a week)
  • Osaka – Jakarta: May 7 – 31, 2020 (2x a week)
  • Jakarta – Sydney: May 12 – 31, 2020 (1x a week)
  • Sydney – Jakarta: May 13 – 31, 2020 (1x a week)
  • Jakarta – Melbourne – Jakarta: May 9 – 31, 2020 (1x a week)
  • Denpasar – Perth – Denpasar: May 14 – 31, 2020  (1x a week)
  • Jakarta – Amsterdam: May 7 – 31, 2020 (1x a week)
  • Amsterdam – Jakarta: May 8 – 31, 2020 (1x a week)

Garuda aims to enforce social distancing through selective seating inside the cabin, whenever possible. Aside from this, it also performs regular sanitation and disinfection spraying on the cabin and the crew after arrival.

Read more about the new schedules on the official website
For more updates, follow the official account

Lufthansa

Starting June, Lufthansa , Eurowings and SWISS will be phasing monthly resumption schedules to more destinations in Germany and Europe. According to the statement, the airline plans to serve 106 destinations by then, including popular holiday destinations like Mallorca, Sylt, Rostock and Crete.

Lufthansa claims that the air onboard is cleaner than outside on the ground, thanks to its hospital-grade filters. Along with stringent cleaning regiment, the airline also requires passengers to wear mask throughout their flight.

Read more on the official website
For more updates, follow the official account

ALSO READ: Can Singapore Airlines survive the Covid-19 crisis?

Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM)

The Royal Dutch Airlines in a statement said that they are starting a “gradual and careful restoration of its European network”. Effective 4 May 2020, KLM will resume service of one daily flight, seven days a week to Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Milan, Budapest, Prague, Warsaw, and Helsinki.

The airline has endeavoured to keep their cabins safe for passengers. A few important measures being taken include seat blocking, simplified catering offerings to minimise contacts, and mouth caps and protective gloves worn by crew members.

Per May 11, 2020, all passengers are required to wear mask during boarding and flying.

Read more about the new schedules on the official website
For more updates, follow the official account

Qatar Airways

Qatar Airways is taking gradual steps toward flight resumption, starting with a plan to expand to 50 destinations by the end of May, such as Manila, Amman, and Nairobi. Toward the end of June, the airline aims to grow the list to 80 destinations represented in the list below.

Africa: Addis Ababa (ADD), Cape Town (CPT), Johannesburg (JNB), Lagos (LOS), Nairobi (NBO), Tunis (TUN)

America : Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Sao Paulo (GRU), Montreal (YUL)

Asia-Pacific: Guangzhou (CAN), Hong Kong (HKG), Seoul (ICN), Tokyo (NRT), Beijing (PEK), Shanghai (PVG), Bangkok (BKK), Jakarta (CGK), Kuala Lumpur (KUL), Manila (MNL), Singapore (SIN), Ahmedabad (AMD), Amritsar (ATQ), Bangalore (BLR), Mumbai (BOM), Calicut (CCJ), Kolkata (CCU), Colombo (CMB), Kochi (COK), Dhaka (DAC), New Delhi (DEL), Goa (GOI), Hyderabad (HYD), Kathmandu (KTM), Chennai (MAA), Male (MLE), Trivandrum (TRV), Islamabad (ISB), Karachi (KHI), Lahore (LHE), Melbourne (MEL), Perth (PER), Sydney (SYD)

Europe : Athens (ATH), Budapest (BUD), Moscow (DME), Istanbul (IST), Amsterdam (AMS), Stockholm (ARN), Barcelona (BCN), Brussels (BRU), Paris (CDG), Copenhagen (CPH), Dublin (DUB), Edinburgh (EDI), Rome (FCO), Frankfurt (FRA), London (LHR), Madrid (MAD), Manchester (MAN), Munich (MUC), Milan (MXP), Oslo (OSL), Berlin (TXL), Vienna (VIE), Zurich (ZRH)

Middle East: Amman (AMM), Beirut (BEY), Baghdad (BGW), Basra (BSR), Erbil (EBL), Teheran (IKA), Sulaymaniyah (ISU), Kuwait (KWI), Muscat (MCT), Mashad (MHD), Najaf (NJF), Sohar (OHS), Salalah (SLL), Shiraz (SYZ)

To ensure that passengers will return with a peace of mind, Qatar Airways maintains the highest possible hygiene standards. The efforts include the regular disinfection of aircraft, outfitting the aircraft with the most advanced air filtration systems, equipped with industrial-size HEPA filters that remove 99.97per cent of viral and bacterial contaminants from re-circulated air.

All the airline’s onboard linen and blankets are thoroughly washed and pressed at microbial lethal temperatures, while its headsets are rigorously sanitised after each flight.

Read more about the new schedules on the official website
For more updates, follow the official account

ALSO READ: Singapore Airlines secures $19b to survive coronavirus and grow after

Singapore Airlines

Singapore Airlines and SilkAir will operate a limited service from May to June 2020. The plan sees the airline offering round-trip flights on reduced schedules to several major cities in certain regions.

  • Southeast Asia routes: Bangkok, Hanoi (one way to Singapore), Ho Chi Minh City (one way to Singapore), Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila
  • North Asia routes : Chongqing, Seoul, Shanghai, and Tokyo – Narita
  • South West Pacific routes : Sydney
  • Europe: Frankfurt, Zurich, and London – Heathrow
  • United States routes: Los Angeles

All other flights that had been scheduled from May to June 2020 will be cancelled.

Singapore Airlines assures customers that every SIA and SilkAir aircraft undergoes a thorough cleaning process using approved strong disinfectant to clean all common areas.

The airline also has a few adjustments to its usual service to maintain high standards of cabin hygiene, which include suspension of our hot towel service, as well as the removal of menu cards and inflight magazines on all flights.

Passengers, cabin crew and pilots now are required to wear mask throughout the flight. They will also be subjected to health check prior to flying.

Read more about the new schedules on the official website
For more updates, follow the official account

ALSO READ: Coronavirus: The air in aircraft cabins is actually much fresher than in your home or office

United Airlines

Throughout the month of May, United Airlines will continue to operate a few international routes.

Newark/New York – Frankfurt (Flights 960/961)
Newark/New York – London (Flights 16/17)
Newark/New York – Tel Aviv (Flights 90/91)
Houston – Sao Paulo (Flights 62/63)
San Francisco – Tokyo-Narita (Flights 837/838)
San Francisco – Sydney (Flights 863/870)

In order to provide safe and healthy experience during flight, United has implemented rigorous sanitation efforts that include electrostatic spraying on all international flights and using HEPA filter. All employees on board and passengers are required to wear facial covering.

Read more about the new schedules on the official website

For more updates, follow the official account

Last updated May 12, 2020.

For the latest updates on the coronavirus, visit here.

This article was first published in Wego.

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