1
CORONAVIRUS cases have soared past 55,000 in the US as airlines cancel flights and international borders are closed.
New York has been the hardest hit, where it is thought one in every 1,000 people has the virus.
President Donald Trump said that he wants the country open by Easter despite thousands of flights cancelled.
While anyone from Europe is banned from entering the country, people can still travel between states as services continue to run.
Despite this, air travel is slowing down – the TSA confirmed an 86 per cent drop in people passing through TSA check points, roughly two million people, on Monday, compared to a year ago.
Airlines have already all but halted international flights, and plan to cut domestic travel by 40 percent.
Here is everything you need to know about travelling from state to state, including flights, buses and train services.
Are domestic flights still running?
Delta and American Airlines have cancelled more than 1,000 each today, both international and domestic, while Southwest, United and Alaska Airlines also cut their services.
Many domestic flights are still in operation – United has not suspended any US city services – while others such as Delta confirmed they would be “significantly reducing domestic seat capacity in line with reduced customer demand”.
This could change at the last minute with some airlines contemplating a voluntary shut down, according to the Wall Street Journal.
A combination of a drop in passenger numbers as well as staff sickness due to coronavirus could lead to all flights being grounded as airlines struggle to make money.
Although some domestic flights are still flying, passengers should contact their airline to see if their flight has been affected.
Anyone who no longer wants to travel may be able to move their flights free of charge – American has extended their to free flight change offer for anyone who bought tickets prior to March 1 for travel through May 31.
Delta is waiving all change fees for flights in March, April or May.
There are also changes to food services on board which are being limited, with passengers able to change seats in their cabin to increase social distancing.
Are domestic bus services still running?
Bus services such as Greyhound are still in operation across the country.
While their services are still running, they are allowing people to change their tickets for free with their Peace of Mind policy.
Tickets can be rescheduled or you can choose a voucher to be used at a later date.
Megabus are still running also but have reduced the seating on their buses to increase social distancing.
They explain on their website: “We have reduced the available number of seats on our double-deck vehicles to give our drivers and customers more personal space. This complies with the CDC’s guidance to avoid groups of more than 50 people.”
They are also cleaning their buses daily and disinfectant wipes will be made available on buses in high traffic areas.
Are trains still running?
Train travel has been severely reduced and Amtrack confirmed that some services are being suspended.
Acela services between Boston and Washington, Keystone Services between Harrisburg and New York, Pennsylvanian trains between New York and Pittsburgh and the Winter Park Express between Denver and Winter Park Resort have been suspended.
Many other routes have a reduced service, with passengers advised to check their route before travelling.
The train service is waiving change fees on all existing or new reservations made before April 30.
Airlines also fear that air traffic controllers falling sick from the virus will cause problems for airports around the nation.
In the past week, Chicago and New York City have both been forced to temporarily halt or delay flights after air traffic controllers at each city’s respective tower tested positive for the virus.
The US may soon overtake Italy as the world’s coronavirus epicenter, after a “very large acceleration” of cases in America.
