COVID-19 News Roundup

Tracking the impact of the pandemic on travel

COVID-19 News Roundup

When the pandemic was first declared in March 2020, ATPCO understood the value of keeping track of industry-related news in the quickly changing environment. We tracked aviation news and developments from the start of the pandemic through December 2020. This page is no longer updated but remains a source for looking back on the events our industry weathered during our toughest times. We are now looking forward to recovery and a post-recovery world.

   
Region Date Organization Summary
North America 04 May 2020 Southwest Southwest alters boarding procedure for social distancing
North America 14 Jul 2020 Southwest Southwest Begins To Worry About The Future As Furloughs Loom
North America 28 Apr 2020 Southwest Southwest CEO Believes First Week of April Was the Bottom
North America 11 Sep 2020 Southwest Southwest CEO Believes No Change Fees Won’t Help Other Carriers
North America 19 Aug 2020 Southwest Southwest Cuts Q3 Capacity Outlook
North America 16 Sep 2020 Southwest Southwest Extends Distanced Seating Policy to Nov. 30
North America 16 Jun 2020 Southwest Southwest extends limited seating on flights through September
North America 28 May 2020 Southwest Southwest Eyes Corporate Travel Gains with New Q4 Routes
North America 17 Apr 2020 Southwest Southwest Eyes Hawaii Expansion Post Coronavirus
North America 09 Apr 2020 Southwest Southwest Halves June Schedule
North America 05 Oct 2020 Southwest Southwest hopes pay cuts, union deals will stave off furloughs
North America 01 Jun 2020 Southwest Southwest offers buyout packages, temporary leaves to 'ensure survival'
North America 12 Oct 2020 Southwest Southwest Pilots Union Not Onboard With 10% Pay Cut
North America 23 Jul 2020 Southwest Southwest pledges no layoffs or furloughs in 2020
North America 03 Apr 2020 Southwest Southwest reduces to 2,000 daily flights through June 5
North America 16 Nov 2020 Southwest Southwest report shows rising virus cases are hitting travel
North America 19 Aug 2020 Southwest Southwest reports ‘modest’ improvement in travel demand, turns down government loan
North America 28 Apr 2020 Southwest Southwest says it could take more than 5 years for business travel to get back to normal, as the airline reports its first loss since 2011 because of the coronavirus
North America 03 Aug 2020 Southwest Southwest Stops Cleaning All Surfaces Between Flights
North America 02 May 2020 Southwest Southwest suspends snack and beverage service under new measures
North America 24 Mar 2020 Southwest Southwest to cut 1,500 daily flights as passenger levels, bookings hit 'unimaginable lows'
North America 22 Oct 2020 Southwest Southwest to End Capacity Controls, Sell Every Seat in December
North America 15 Jun 2020 Southwest Southwest To Offer Complimentary Social Distancing Until October
North America 07 Dec 2020 Southwest Southwest’s Threat of Historic Furloughs Already Deepening Divide With Unions
EMEA 18 May 2020 Government Spain aims to reopen borders in June, deaths down again
EMEA 11 May 2020 Government Spain Calls For EU-Wide Approach To Airline Aid
EMEA 28 May 2020 Government Spain May Open Some Cities But Not Others to Foreign Tourism First
EMEA 21 Oct 2020 Air Europa Spain’s Air Europa may get €450m aid, resumes more int’l ops
EMEA 15 Sep 2020 Industry Spanish airlines see tough winter after disastrous summer
APAC 29 Jul 2020 SpiceJet SpiceJet Posts $108 Million Loss Due To MAX Grounding And COVID
APAC 29 Apr 2020 SpiceJet SpiceJet says no salary for April-May, cargo pilots to get paid on hourly basis
North America 25 Apr 2020 Spirit Spirit Airlines running triangle routes to meet CARES Act requirements
APAC 26 Apr 2020 SriLankan Airlines SriLankan Airlines extends temporary suspension of passenger services to 15-May-2020
North America 08 Jun 2020 Industry Stacked Seating Could Permit Lie Flat Beds In Economy
Global 26 Jun 2020 Industry Startups, investors see opportunities and challenges as travel industry struggles with COVID, diversity issues
North America 20 Mar 2020 Government State Department to U.S. Citizens: Do Not Travel Internationally
EMEA 12 Jun 2020 Government State to consider integrating some Air Italy assets into new Alitalia
North America 11 Sep 2020 American Airlines Struggling American Airlines prepares to furlough 19,000 workers
APAC 11 May 2020 Cathay Pacific Struggling Cathay Pacific hints at further job losses with pilots now in the firing line
Global 12 Oct 2020 Industry Subtle shifts in travel may drive long recovery: trade group
Multiple 22 Oct 2020 Industry Successful transatlantic trial for digital Covid passport
EMEA 12 Jul 2020 Government Surge in new coronavirus cases in Eastern Europe prompts new restrictions
North America 16 Mar 2020 American Airlines Suspend nearly all long-haul flights
Latin America 16 Mar 2020 LATAM Suspending new investments, expenses and hiring
North America 16 Mar 2020 Hawaiian Airlines Suspending service to Australia, New Zealand
North America 18 Mar 2020 Hawaiian Airlines Suspends Flights to Sapporo
Europe 07 Dec 2020 Lufthansa SWISS And Lufthansa Airlines Adopt NEC Facial Recognition Technologies
EMEA 03 Oct 2020 SWISS SWISS Plans On Flying To 85% Of Its Destinations This Winter
EMEA 01 May 2020 SWISS SWISS to receive government-backed loans to help it through the liquidity
EMEA 17 Mar 2020 Government Switzerland Locks Down Until April