French bee and AP Photo/ Francois Mori
Air Tahiti Nui and French bee have responded by rerouting flights and the latter has resulted in operating a non-stop flight from Papeete to Paris, making it the longest non-stop flight in the world.President Donald Trump's proclamation on Wednesday largely restricted entry into the United States for non-citizen European residents is leading to a reduction in flights across the Atlantic and airlines potentially losing a large number of passengers affected by the ban.
While most Europeans can enter the US under visa-waiver programs, the requirement to enter the country has ruled out American cities as transit points for those who require formal visas for entry. Three airlines operate flights between France and Tahiti including Air France, Air Tahiti Nui, and French Bee. All three have had their operations on the route impacted by President Trump's travel ban, each taking a different approach with some more drastic than others. French bee responded by rerouted its Paris-Papeete flights through Pointe-à-Pitre in the Caribbean.
The restrictions will remain in place until at least mid-April when the presidential proclamation is set to expire. Paris-Papeete via San Francisco is currently the airline's only route that touches US territory, though the airline is set to launch a Newark-Paris route in June. Air Tahiti has avoided the US entirely, opting to fly non-stop from Papeete to Paris, making it the new operator of the world's longest non-stop flight.
Really? France’s healthcare system is under enormous strain due to the virus so the prudent decision was to continue importing more cases.