A4A President and CEO Nicholas E. Calio issued the following statement last evening:

We commend President Trump for continuing to take decisive action to protect the health and well-being of the American people. For U.S. airlines, the safety of our passengers, crew and cargo is – and always will be – our top priority.

The unforeseen outbreak of the coronavirus has directly impacted the U.S. airline industry, which is critical to the U.S. and global economies. This action will hit U.S. airlines, their employees, travellers and the shipping public extremely hard. However, we respect the need to take this unprecedented action and appreciate the Administration’s commitment to facilitate travel and trade.

We will continue to work hand-in-hand with the White House and relevant federal agencies as they work to contain this virus and mitigate its impact on the United States and countries around the world.

WASHINGTON, March 11, 2020

Comment: We should have thought of better solidarity between airlines during the difficult times of the coronavirus crisis. But it seems that the boss of US airlines is seeing the crisis as a way to increase the market share of his members, at the expense of their European counterparts. The Trump philosophy of “America First” has been transmitted to the airline sector. Pity!