In recent days, I have posted about the travel industry’s response to COVID-19, better known as, the Coronavirus. The posts included some domestic airlines’ response to the pandemic. The post are as follows:
Delta Airlines Coronavirus Response
United Airlines Coronavirus Response
United Airlines Waives Change Fees for One Year
American Airlines, the domestic airline I frequent the most, has a huge government contract with the Department of Defense (DOD). The contract offers some great benefits to those aligned with the DOD. There was some unfortunate news for the airline and the travel industry, as a whole, last night. The DOD banned all domestic travel for personnel and families amid the coronavirus crisis.
Here are excerpts from the memorandum:
The continuing spread of the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) necessitates immediate implementation of travel restrictions for domestic Department of Defense (DOD) travel.
This memo applies to all DOD military and civilian personnel and their families assigned to DOD installation, facilities, and surrounding areas in the United States and its territories. All DOD military personnel will stop movement while this memo is in effect.
Travel exceptions may be granted in the following instances where travel is:
- Determined to be mission essential
- Necessary for humanitarian reasons
- Warranted due to extreme hardship
These exceptions will be done on a case by case basis and are to be limited in numbers.
This guidance is effective March 16, 2020 and expires May 11, 2020.
I am not here to speculate what it means for our military, but I do know that an already financially strapped travel industry, will need some relief. I am confident the government will provide bailouts to affected industries, as we have done in the past. Stay safe, but most importantly, stay away from mass gatherings until this virus is eradicated.
