Mexico Travel Discouraged, Flights Screened
Jennifer Michels jennifer_michels@aviationweek.com
At 10:50 p.m. Monday, April 27, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a recommendation that U.S. travelers avoid all non-essential travel to Mexico.
Mexican authorities also have started checking airline passengers departing the country for signs of swine flu, which can cause significant delays. Additionally, airport and airline officials in Mexico City are working together to ask passengers to fill out forms at the ticket counter to determine if they have any of the flu symptoms before allowing them to pass through security.
According to the CDC, the symptoms are similar to the seasonal flu and may include fever, sore throat, cough, stuffy nose, chills, headache and body aches and fatigue. More information on symptoms an how to prevent the spread of swine flu can be found at www.cdc/gov/swineflu.
Meanwhile the World health Organization (WHO) is investigating reported swine flu cases in California, Texas, Kansas, Ohio, New York City and possibly New Jersey, and some news reports from around the world are suggesting travel to the U.S. also be postponed. The latest update from WHO says that the U.S. government has reported 40 laboratory confirmed cases of swine flu, and no deaths. Mexico has reported 26 confirmed cases, including seven deaths. Canada has reported six cases, with no deaths and Spain has one case with no deaths.
WHO has not recommended that regular travel be restricted, nor does it want to see any closure of borders. But it says that it is essential that anyone who feels ill to delay an international trip.
The Public Health Agency of Canada also has asked Canadians to postpone all non-essential travel to Mexico.
IATA Director General Giovanni Bisignani said rising concerns over the swine flu could have a significant impact on traffic. "Safety, as always, is our number one priority. IATA is working in close cooperation with the World Health Organization to ensure an efficient response of the air transport industry to the challenges that Swine Influenza will present," said Bisignani. "It is still too early to judge what the impact of swine flu will have on the bottom line. But it is sure that anything that shakes the confidence of passengers has a negative impact on the business. And the timing could not be worse given all of the other economic problems airlines are facing."
Aeromexico says it is taking several measures to keep its passengers and employees safe. Any passenger who shows flu-like symptoms will not be allowed to board. At this time, the airline reports that its operations are normal and there has been no detection of cases that required authorities to get involved.
As the situation remains fluid, the Business Travel Coalition has launched a Swine Influenza Dashboard where travel professionals can check for updates. It can be found at www.netvibes.com/btc#flu. It will post CDC and WHO alerts, as well as customized news feeds for airlines, airports, travel agents and others in the business.
File photo of Seattle-Tacoma International: Port of Seattle
