Were YOU on the same flight as America's first Ebola victim?: United Airlines releases flight numbers for the planes Thomas Duncan caught from Liberia to Dallas
- United Airlines revealed flight numbers for two out of three planes Ebola patient Thomas Eric Duncan reportedly traveled on during his trip to the US
- The airline said Wednesday it believed Duncan took Flight 951 from Brussels to Washington Dulles, then Flight 822 to Dallas/Fort Worth
- U.S. officials had refused to release Duncan's flight details, but United Airlines chose to make his reported itinerary public
- Duncan was likely on Brussels Airlines Flight 1247 before boarding the United planes, an affiliate station reported
- An email from someone claiming to work for United Airlines also alleged Duncan was on the Brussels flight
- Duncan planned to return to West Africa in approximately two weeks, the tipster's email also claimed
- Health officials claim there is no risk to Duncan's fellow passengers
United
Airlines revealed flight numbers for two out of three planes Ebola
patient Thomas Eric Duncan reportedly traveled on during his trip to the
United States.
The
airline said it believed Duncan took Flight 951 from Brussels Airport
to Washington Dulles International Airport, then Flight 822 to
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport in a Wednesday statement.
'While
the CDC states it is unnecessary for it or the airline to contact
others who were on the patient’s flights, United is providing
information about the flights United believes the patient took, based on
information provided by the CDC,' the airline said. 'We are ensuring
our employees have this information and suggest that any customers who
have concerns contact the experts at the CDC for further information.'
A
third flight number has yet to be released, though Duncan was likely on
Brussels Airlines Flight 1247 before boarding the United planes, CBS DFW reported.
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Thomas Eric
Duncan reportedly flew from Liberia to Brussels and then into
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport - with a connection in between
Unfriendly skies: Thomas Eric Duncan
was able to board a plane to the U.S. and land in Dallas after having
come in close contact with at least one person who died of Ebola
Wencke
Lemmes, a spokesperson for Brussels Airlines, told MailOnline 'We
cannot confirm whether the person in question has been travelling with
us or not. Belgian law actually prohibits us to communicate any name of a
passenger to external parties nor can we confirm the presence of a
person on board of one of our flights - only the authorities are allowed
to do so.
'What
counts for Brussels Airlines is that independently on whether the
person traveled with us or not, CDC states that the person showed no
illness symptoms before nor during his travel, hence, there has at no
time been a risk of contamination.
A person is only contagious if he/she
shows illness symptoms.
'In
addition, Brussels Airlines has at no time been asked by CDC to inform
its guests or staff of its Monrovia flights about the presence of an
Ebola patient. The security and safety of our guests and staff remains
at all times our first priority and as such we keep monitoring the
situation in the three countries hit by Ebola very closely and keep the
measures taken in close cooperation with the authorities and medical
experts in place.'
A Belgian official also told The Associated Press Duncan flew from Mondovia to Brussels via Brussels Airlines.
United Airlines
said it believed Duncan took Flight 951 from Brussels to Washington
Dulles International Airport, then Flight 822 to Dallas/Fort Worth
International Airport in a Wednesday statement (file photo)
Mystery: A third flight number has yet
to be released, though Duncan was likely on Brussels Airlines Flight
1247 before boarding the United planes, an affiliate station reported
(file photo)
Travelers: Passengers are seen lined up at Roberts International Airport in Monrovia, Liberia (file photo)
Long journey: Duncan is thought to have flown from Brussels Airport (pictured) to Washington Dulles International
Conservative news blog Gotnews.com
published an email from someone claiming to work for United Airlines,
which allegedly revealed Duncan's full flight itinerary - including a
trip back to West Africa approximately two weeks from now - and alleged
that Duncan was a Brussels Airlines Flight 1247 passenger.
The tipster wrote 'I work in reservations for United Airlines. That's all I'm willing to say about my identity.'
'His
return flight was scheduled to depart Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) on Oct.
19,' the alleged email said. 'The return flight was scheduled for
DFW-IAD-BRU-FNA (FNA is Lungi Intl Airport in Freetown, Sierra Leone).
United
Airlines did not immediately return a request for comment on the
allegedly employee-leaked itinerary and if Duncan in fact planned a
return trip.
The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did not immediately
return a request for comment regarding Duncan's reported flights into
the United States.
U.S.
officials had previously refused to provide details of Duncan's
itinerary, claiming none of his fellow passengers were at risk because
he was not showing symptoms at that time.
From Washington Dulles International
Airport (pictured), Duncan made his way to Dallas/Fort Worth
International Airport, United Airlines believes
The CDC (pictured) is working with
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to identify potential victims
and warn other travelers of the health threat
The New York Times reported
that Duncan helped care for a woman who later died of the disease just
days before his journey. Had a customs official asked him about his
contact with Ebola patients, he could have been flagged as being at high
risk for infection.
Public
health officials say the chances of an outbreak in the United States
are low. The United States has sanitation and medical care that far
exceeds that found in the affected West African nations, which are among
the poorest in the world.
Currently,
patients are checked for fever - the first sign of a possible infection
- before they are allowed to board flights leaving West African
nations.
However,
once travelers gets past examiners in Liberia, Sierra Leone or Guinea,
there are few barriers to them moving across the world.
U.S.
Customs and Border Protection says the agency's examiners at airports
and other ports of entry are trained to spot and identify people
potentially infected with Ebola before they enter the country.
It's a long way to Texas: Thomas
Duncan flew from Liberia to Belgium to Washington, D.C., before finally
arriving in Dallas on September 20
However,
a spokeswoman could provide no information about how the agency was
changing its rules to prevent more Ebola infected fliers from coming
into the U.S.
Airlines
for America, the industry trade group, on Wednesday U.S. airlines are
in regular contact with the Centers for Disease Control and other
government agencies about helping to prevent the spread of Ebola.
'A4A
members that fly to affected countries remain in steady contact with
government agencies and health officials, and have procedures in place
to monitor and quickly respond to potential health concerns,'
spokeswoman Victoria Day said.
Stocks in major U.S. air carriers fell as much as nearly
4 percent on Wednesday over fears that the spread of the worst
known Ebola outbreak beyond West Africa would make more
customers fearful of traveling.
'People are nervous about (the first case of Ebola detected
in the United States) and what it means,' said Michael Derchin,
an analyst at CRT Capital Group LLC.
Still, Derchin said that the market had overreacted.
'I would be surprised if there's any impact on travel,' he
said.
JetBlue Airways and American Airlines said
they were closely following guidelines from the U.S. Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Airlines for America, the industry trade group, is also
coordinating with the CDC on any government action related to
Ebola concerns, JetBlue spokesman Morgan Johnston said.
'We follow the guidelines (put) in place by the CDC
specifically for airlines, and we work with our crews to protect
the health of our customers and employees,' American Airlines
spokesman Josh Freed said.
The CDC is working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection
(CBP) to identify potential victims and warn other travelers of
the health threat.
'CBP personnel receive training in illness recognition,'
said agency spokeswoman Jennifer Evanitsky. If they identify
someone believed to be infected, they will seek medical
evaluation from CDC and local health officials.
Customs officials will wear protective equipment such as
gloves and surgical masks to ensure their safety when
interacting with ill travelers, she added.
Customs and Border personnel also will hand out flyers in
airports encouraging people to watch their health for 21 days
and listing steps to follow should they become sick, according
to CDC spokesman Tom Skinner.
Airlines will also remind their customers to follow CDC
guidelines regarding travel when ill, Johnston said.
JetBlue shares fell 3.4 percent to $10.26, while American
Airlines fell about 3.9 percent and Delta Air Lines fell
about 3.7 percent in early Wednesday afternoon trading.
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