By Laurence Frost, Aradhana Aravindan and Chayut Setboonsarng
PARIS/SINGAPORE/BANGKOK (Reuters) - Air France (PA:AIRF) 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 (L:ICAG) and Germany's Lufthansa (DE:LHAG) 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 (BK:THAI) 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 (N:DAL) is operating fewer China flights and shorter layovers, with food deliveries so crew can stay bunkered in their hotel.
Korean Air Lines Co Ltd (KS:003490) and Singapore Airlines (SI:SIAL) 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 (HK:0293) 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.