Delta cuts flights, hiring as virus curbs travel

Airlines are slashing flights and freezing hiring as they experience a sharp drop in bookings and a rise in cancellations in the face of the spreading coronavirus.

Delta said Tuesday that travel demand has fallen so badly in the past week that it expects one-third of seats to be empty this month on flights within the US.

The drop in travel demand is across the board. Business travelers are grounded as meetings and conferences are being canceled, and leisure travelers are avoiding unnecessary trips.

Normally airlines try to lure reluctant customers by discounting fares, but that won't work in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Delta says fear of travel is felt most sharply among people over 55, and it's worse on the West Coast than the East Coast.

Delta, United, American and most international carriers have suspended flights to China, where the outbreak began and has infected the most people.

U.S. airline officials have expressed steadfast confidence that they can manage their way through the outbreak.

Airline stocks have been among the hardest hit during the market sell-off of the last few weeks.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough.

For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia.

The vast majority of people recover from the new virus.

According to the World Health Organization, people with mild illness recover in about two weeks, while those with more severe illness may take three to six weeks to recover.

In mainland China, where the virus first exploded, more than 80,000 people have been diagnosed and more than 58,000 have so far recovered.