MSC Cruises Cancels Three ‘Grand Voyages’ to Avoid Red Sea Transit

Joe Cusmano 3 years ago 1 min read

In a significant boost to international travel, American Airlines is set to launch a new nonstop service between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport (HND). The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has formally approved the airline’s application, making it the only U.S. carrier to operate a nonstop service between JFK and HND. Brian Znotins, American’s Senior Vice President of Network and Schedule Planning, expressed his enthusiasm about the upcoming service, stating, “American looks forward to launching flights between JFK and HND this summer. This new service will complement flights offered by our joint business partner, Japan Airlines, giving more ways for our customers to travel between the U.S. and Japan.” Set to launch on June 28, the new service will offer up to three daily flights, providing customers with a range of convenient times throughout the day. Furthermore, the new daily flight will offer roundtrip connections to more than 30 cities across Japan and East Asia operated by Japan Airlines, including major cities such as Osaka, Sapporo, and Fukuoka. The JFK-HND service will be America’s fourth daily nonstop flight to HND, joining the existing daily service from Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) and two daily flights from Los Angeles (LAX). In a joint business partnership, American and Japan Airlines will offer customers up to 17 flights between the continental United States and Japan next summer, including ten daily flights to HND. This partnership is set to redefine convenience and comfort for travellers, offering them a seamless travel experience to Japan next summer. This move marks a significant milestone in enhancing connectivity and fostering stronger ties between the U.S. and Japan, promising an exciting summer for travellers.

MSC Opera – Photo: MSC Cruise

MSC Cruises has cancelled three repositioning “Grand Voyage” sailings from South Africa and the United Arab Emirates to Europe in April because the Red Sea is too dangerous for ships to cross.

Due to the ongoing attacks on commercial ships in the region, the Company had to cancel three grand voyages: an MSC Splendida 24-night cruise from Durban, South Africa, to Genoa, Italy; an MSC Opera 21-night cruise from Dubai, UAE, to Genoa; and an MSC Virtuosa 23-night cruise from Dubai to Southampton, UK.

The Company regrettably had to cancel the voyages because of the lack of a feasible alternative route and the highest priority placed on passenger and crew safety. Instead of going through the Red Sea, the three ships will go straight to Europe without any passengers.

As an alternative, they will circumnavigate Africa’s west coast without calling any ports en route to their summer 2024 homeports in Europe. Other ships in the Company’s fleet are unaffected.

We have contacted all passengers who have booked on the three repositioning cruises, either directly or via their travel agency, and offered them the opportunity to switch their booking to a future Grand Voyage of similar duration at no extra cost.

On the other hand, impacted customers can switch to another cruise in the Company’s worldwide fleet, pay the price difference, or get their money back with no cancellation charge.