American Airlines today resumed scheduled service to eight destinations in the Caribbean previously suspended in March due to coronavirus (COVID-19) travel restrictions. The airline resumed its operations from Miami International Airport (MIA) to Santo Domingo (SDQ), Santiago (STI), Puerto Plata (POP) and Punta Cana (PUJ) in the Dominican Republic; Port-au-Prince, Haiti (PAP); as well as to Eleuthera (ELH), Georgetown (GGT) and Nassau (NAS) in the Bahamas.
In the coming weeks, the airline is also planning to relaunch service to St. Lucia (UVF), Aruba (AUA), St. Vincent (SVD), St. Maarten (SXM) and Providenciales (PLS), some with service from both MIA and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
“American has a long and proud history in the Caribbean and we are thrilled to continue resuming our operations, flying this month a schedule that includes up to 42 daily flights to 19 destinations in the region,” said Jose Freig, Managing Director for the Caribbean and Latin America. “We are looking forward to safely serving our customers in the Caribbean and to help restart travel and tourism in the region.”
While American has continued flying a limited schedule in the region, with flights to San Juan
(SJU), St. Thomas (STT) and St. Croix (STX), in June the airline resumed service to Antigua
(ANU) and to Kingston (KIN) and Montego Bay (MBJ) in Jamaica. With these flights, the airline
will be operating up to 42 daily flights in the Caribbean during the month of July, with additional
increases scheduled for August.
American’s Clean Commitment has multiple layers
As American adds more flights to its summer schedule, the airline is taking several new actions
as it continues to focus on the well-being and safety of customers and team members. These
include creating a new Travel Health Advisory Panel including world-renowned Vanderbilt
University Medical Center to advise on health and cleaning matters as travelers return over the
summer.
American also announced that it is working with the Global Biorisk Advisory Council for GBAC STARTM Accreditation (GBAC STAR) for its fleet of aircraft and customer lounges. GBAC STAR Accreditation demonstrates that proper cleaning and disinfection work practices, procedures and systems are in place to prepare for, respond to and recover from pandemics. The Travel Health Advisory Panel and GBAC STAR Accreditation build on American’s commitment to the safety and well-being of its customers and team members.
American has implemented multiple layers of protection for customers that include clean airports and airplanes, looking out for the health of team members, and requirements for customers to wear face coverings. American disinfects every aircraft, including hand-cleaning seat buckles, seats, tray tables and other surfaces. The airline also applies an electrostatic spray inside the aircraft every seven
days which kills 99.9999% of viruses and bacteria within 10 minutes. American is the only network airline to use a product on EPA List N which provides continued seven-day protection against bacteria, mold, and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. And the HEPA filtration system on board American’s fleet provides a complete air change every two to four minutes, similar to the standard for hospitals.
American has also expanded the frequency of cleaning in airport areas under its control, including gate areas, ticket counters, passenger services counters, baggage service offices and team member rooms. Customers on many flights receive sanitizing wipes or gel, and American has limited food and beverage delivery to reduce interactions between flight attendants and customers.
COVID-19 symptom checklist for travelers
In May, American began requiring all customers and team members on board to wear a face covering unless there is a medical reason why they cannot. In June, American said it would limit flight privileges for customers who refuse to wear a face covering without a medical reason. In addition, American is asking customers during the check-in process to certify that they have been free of COVID-19 symptoms for the past 14 days.
Flexibility for customers
American is providing customers additional flexibility for travel by extending its offer to waive change fees. This offer applies to tickets that meet the following criteria:
-Any ticket for travel through Sept. 30, 2020, will not incur change fees prior to travel.
Customers must pay any fare difference, if applicable, at time of ticketing of the new
fare. Fare rules may apply depending on the ticket.
-All AAdvantage® award tickets are included in this offer.
– Customers are allowed to change their origin and destination cities as part of this offer.
– Travel must be completed by Dec. 31, 2021.
For the latest on American’s changes to scheduled service and other information related to
COVID-19, please visit the Newsroom.
