Airline Execs To Meet With Vice President At The White House On Friday

Chief executives of major airlines in the United States will confer with Vice President Mike Pence to discuss a range of issues related to the ongoing pandemic.

What Happened

The CEOs of American Airlines Group Inc AAL, Delta Air Lines, Inc DAL, Southwest Airlines Co LUV, United Airlines Holdings Inc UAL and JetBlue Airways Corporation JBLU will meet with the Vice President at the White House on Friday. 

The chief executives will discuss restrictions on U.S. travelers to be imposed by the European Union, temperature checks at U.S. airports, contact tracing airline passengers, and the likely impact of the pandemic on travel demand, sources told Reuters.

Why It Matters

Officials from the E.U. are mulling a travel ban on the U.S., as the country has failed to contain COVID-19. 

The bloc plans on reopening borders July 1 to international travelers but may not allow U.S. visitors, a blow to the prestige of both the U.S. and President Donald Trump’s presidency, reported the New York Times. 

A possible E.U. ban would be a huge setback to airlines, as some such as Delta were planning to restart flights between New York and Athens, and Lisbon, both popular tourist destinations in the summer. 

According to data from the Bureau of Transportation Statistics, flights to Europe and other destinations made up 17% of United Airlines’ passenger revenue in 2019 and amounted to $7.4 billion. 

For Delta, the figure was 15% and for American Airlines 11% translating to $6.4 billion and $4.6 billion, respectively.