* Air France suspends China flights until Feb. 9 as virus
spreads
* Follows airlines such as British Airways, Lufthansa
* Airlines still flying to China cut layover times
(Adds details, comment, background)
By Laurence Frost, Aradhana Aravindan and Chayut
Setboonsarng
PARIS/SINGAPORE/BANGKOK, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Air France
became the latest major airline to suspend flights to
China, as cabin crews around the world voiced growing unease
about their exposure to the coronavirus, which has killed more
than 170 people and continues to spread.
The decision by Air France came amid mounting pressure from
cabin crew unions, who had demanded an immediate halt to the
carrier's Beijing and Shanghai flights ahead of a Thursday works
council meeting, staff representatives told Reuters.
Scheduled flights to mainland China have been suspended
until Feb. 9 "after careful consideration of the developing
situation", the airline said. "Air France's top priority is the
health and safety of its customers and employees."
Air France joins airlines including British Airways
and Germany's Lufthansa that have already dropped
mainland Chinese destinations besides Wuhan, the outbreak's
centre, which is closed to commercial air traffic. But other
major carriers have kept flying to China.
Protective masks and shorter layovers designed to reduce
exposure have done little to reassure crews on those routes.
Thai Airways is also hosing its cabins with
disinfectant spray between China flights and allowing crew to
wear masks and gloves.
"I don't think it's safe at all even with gloves and masks,
because you catch it so many ways, like your eyes," said one
flight attendant with the carrier, who spoke on condition of
anonymity.
"My friends also feel unsafe and don't want to fly," she
said. "When we fly, we don't sleep a lot."
Airlines still flying to China that have reduced layovers
include Virgin Atlantic. Its staff layover times have been
halved and will be spent in airport hotels, the UK's Unite union
said. Delta Air Lines is operating fewer China flights
and shorter layovers, with food deliveries so crew can stay
bunkered in their hotel.
Korean Air Lines Co Ltd and Singapore Airlines
are sending additional crew to fly each plane straight
back, avoiding overnight stays altogether.
"Most of us would not want to stay in China at the current
moment," said a Singapore pilot who welcomed the policy. The
airline declined to comment on the details.
The South Korean carrier also said on Thursday it was
loading hazmat suits for flight attendants who might need to
take care of suspected coronavirus cases in the air.
REPATRIATING FRENCH NATIONALS
The outbreak poses the biggest epidemic threat to the
airline industry since the 2003 SARS crisis, which led to a 45%
plunge in passenger demand in Asia at its peak in April of that
year, analysts said.
Air France, which had maintained China flights throughout
the SARS epidemic, faced growing pressure to suspend its flights
in recent days.
"When the staff see that other airlines have stopped flying
there, their reaction is 'Why are we still going?'," said Flore
Arrighi, president of UNAC, one of the airline's four main
flight attendants' unions.
The airline still plans to fly special services to China
with volunteer crews to help repatriate French nationals
stranded by the health crisis.
The spectrum of measures taken by different airlines
underlines how little is known about coronavirus transmission
and how to prevent it.
Cathay Pacific has cut hot towels, blankets and
magazines from its China flights in case they spread the virus.
British Airways crews still flying to Hong Kong are wearing
gloves to hand out towels, according to one pilot who returned
recently from the city and said colleagues were unfazed.
"The crew weren't really using their masks, although they
were given three each for the flight," he said.
(For a factbox on airlines suspending China flights, click
on)
(Reporting by Laurence Frost, Aradhana Aravindan and Chayut
Setboonsarng; Additional reporting by Caroline Pailliez in
Paris, Josephine Mason in London, John Geddie in Singapore, Panu
Wongcha-um in Bangkok, Tracy Rucinski in Chicago, Jamie Freed in
Sydney and Joyce Lee in Seoul; Writing by Jamie Freed;
Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta/ Timothy Heritage/Susan Fenton)
International Airlines (IAG)
