Update, 3/3: Texas based Sabre announced today that they will terminate their ticket distribution agreement with Aeroflot, which will remove their flights from the GDS that travel agents and websites use to book tickets. That will likely go into effect in the coming hours.
It seems that for now, Sabre will continue to operate the airline’s backend passenger services system, without which the airline would likely be forced to shut down. Sabre says they will monitor the situations to see if further action is appropriate.
Update, 3/1: President Biden announced tonight that US airspace will be closed for Russian flights, which will trigger reciprocal bans for US airlines over Russia. That will mean longer or cancelled flights between the US and India and the Far East. This comes after the UK, EU, and Canada banned Russian flights from their airspace, with Russia retaliating against UK, EU, and Canadian flights over their airspace.
United is cancelling San Francisco-Delhi and Newark-Mumbai for the time being, while continuing to operate Chicago and Newark to Delhi.
American operates their daily Delhi-JFK flight without Russian overflight rights, which typically causes that flight to divert to Bangor for refueling…
Update, 2/27: The US Embassy in Russia is telling Americans to leave Russia now while there are still some flights available. It’s too late to get to most places, but for now, there are still flights to global hubs like Abu Dhabi, Doha, and Dubai, as well as other airports like Tel Aviv.
Originally posted on 2/27:
The world’s eyes are on Ukraine, which has been putting up a valiant fight against Russian invaders under the heroic leadership of Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The 44 year old father of 2 is a former comedian who played a teacher on TV that suddenly became President of the country when he spoke out against corruption. As with Ronald Reagan, he deftly made the transition from the small screen to President by continuing that theme of speaking out against corrupt lifelong politicians and winning in a landslide.
Mr. Putin has called the Ukrainian leadership “neo-Nazis,” which is ironic given that Mr. Zelenskyy is Jewish and all 3 of his grandfather’s brothers were murdered by actual Nazis in the Holocaust.
Mr. Zelenskyy has already won by refusing to run away. When the US offered him an escape route, he responded with “I need ammunition, not a ride.” Despite being Russia’s primary target, he has refused to abandon his country. This man will either go down in history books as a Churchill-esque military hero should Ukraine prevail, or a martyr that will ensure that Ukrainians will never make life easy for a Russian puppet leader. He is truly the leader that Ukraine needed for this moment. May G-d protect and watch over him.
The world has been uniting around Ukraine’s cause, supplying them with defensive aid, something that countries like Germany had a policy not to do in conflict zones.
Turkey is now calling this a war and will limit Russian warships from the Black Sea south of Ukraine as they control the straits between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
Israel has promised civilian aid for Ukraine and has offered to broker peace between Russian and Ukraine.
And countries like Moldova, Romania, and Poland are taking in thousands of refugees escaping fighting, as pictures emerge of Jewish weddings being held in Moldova, on the run from Ukraine. Who would have thought we’d see pictures like this in Europe in this century?
https://twitter.com/aliostad/status/1497519061554630658
In a move with far reaching consequences, both the EU and Canada are closing their airspace to all Russian aircraft. That follows the UK’s lead in shutting down their airspace to Russian owned, operated, registered, or controlled aircraft.
Russia will retaliate, but they may soon find themselves unable to fly over much of the world.
Why is the US not acting in solidarity with Canada and the EU? Perhaps US airlines are quietly lobbying to keep Russian airspace open for overflight rights there which they are currently utilizing, but it is surprising that the US has not done so by this point.
The EU is also blocking Russian media and propaganda. Indeed, Russian trolls and bots have even been trying to register accounts and post their nonsense in the DDF thread on the current war in Ukraine via VPNs.
Clearly Mr. Putin is getting squeezed on all sides. He has just fired his military leader who has led for the past decade. The new military head will likely be a puppet that won’t push back on Putin’s worst ideas.
The scary thing is that the more trapped that Mr. Putin feels, the more likely he is to do something with devastating consequences, as he puts his nuclear forces on alert. Hopefully that’s just a bluff to attempt to get more at the negotiating table, but clearly Russia thought that Ukraine would have surrendered by now and Putin may begin to act even more recklessly as he is cornered.
Let’s all pray for peace in Ukraine and all over the world.
Our thoughts and prayers are with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people. You can follow along the latest developments on DDF, where DansDeals site designer and DDF member @Suave has been posting updates of his own escape from his adopted hometown of Odessa, Ukraine and is asking for help bringing people to safety with his personal fund. @Suave also notes that you can donate funds to South Ukraine Emergency Fund here. He has worked together with United Hatzala to set up a command center in Moldova for refugees. There is also an emergency fund for the Kiev community here. And there is a Ukraine wide fund. And you can donate to the Ukraine Jewish Relief Fund. Pray for peace!
Aeroflot still flying nonstop to Cancun from Moscow. And, of course, to Tel Aviv. It’s reported, though, that there are 15,000 stranded Russian tourists in the Dominican Republic. That can be reached nonstop, too — but did they arrive on charters that are now grounded because of financing problems?
Fun Fact: for all people celebrating the news that “Sabre Corporation terminates distribution agreement with Aeroflot” Please Note: Aeroflot Group carried a total of 3.5 million passenger in 2020 (while the overall number is still down 14.7 % from 2019 due to covid-19 as with most airlines…) only 904,500 passengers carried in international segment, that’s only 25% of Total passengers traveled with Aeroflot, Aeroflot still remains 75% in Business as their majority of segments and passengers was domestic not international.
Bots in the DDF! The Russians are trying to infiltrate the very height of culture. Props to the mods for their work
This should be happening any moment now.
To clarify it was WSJ report that was quoted by Fox News:
26 min(s) ago
US to join those banning Russian aircraft from American airspace
The U.S. is expected to ban Russian aircraft from American airspace, a step GOP lawmakers have been calling on President Biden to make.
The order to ban Russian-owned and operated aircraft from U.S. airspace is expected within the next 24 hours, according to reporting from the Wall Street Journal.
Posted by Michael Lee
Per foxnews, US expected to close airspace to Russian aircrafts within 24 hrs
Don’t forget that the Ukrainians were the ones that did the worst to the jews My grandfather told it to me first hand
Lviv is the capital of civilians who glorify nazis until this day
yup. not sure why everyone is standing with the most sadistic jew murderers of the last century.
The Russians were just as bad if not worse, never mind Germany, Spain, et al.
AKA https://www.dansdeals.com/more/dans-commentary/news-roundup/europe-canada-close-airspace-enforce-aerial-blockade-russia-united-states/#comment-1564104
https://www.dansdeals.com/more/dans-commentary/news-roundup/europe-canada-close-airspace-enforce-aerial-blockade-russia-united-states/#comment-1564104
Contrary to tweet from Alexander Vindman,
The Russian Chief of Staff General Valery Gerasimov was not fired.
He might still be given the invaders’ performance so far. Does not look like Blitzkrieg the Russian leaders hoped for …
Not cool calling the US “shameful” while you say nothing about a country that has remained silent. Most of the time your points are spot on. This is not one of those times.
Many countries have turned a blind eye, but I’m only a citizen of one.
I’m embarrassed that Canada and the EU are being more proactive than the US.
The US is spearheading the charge. They are destroying the Russian economy with the sanctions. Yes, you can point to this or that. Overall, we have never seen a response from the US like this before. It would be foolish to think the US is not behind the decision of NATO nations changing their stance about sending arms and SWIFT among other things.
Agree with all that, but it’s still surprising to see them not make an aerial blockade in unison with our allies.
“Surprising” is a good description.
Fair enough. I’ve modified the post to that wording.
WOW, fair and balanced. I know a network that is hiring.
Putin also isn’t that unique. He just has unique circumstances. Xi of China would happily commit genocide in Taiwan if he could get away with it. He is already doing it with the uguhyrs. The fact that China controls the media doesn’t change the realities. There are easily a handful of other guys that just lack the situation to act on their whims. It’s silly to be so uneducated as to think the world won’t tolerate wars, dictators, tyrants)…
Except the world is proving that they won’t stand by idly.
The sad thing is that people somehow think that the world has evolved. It hadn’t. In every century of every millennium in history there have been tyrants and blood thirsty powerful leaders. Just at the turn of the century there was plenty of ethnic cleansing in Europe’s former Yugoslavia. So windows 95 came and changed the world ? It’s this complacency that shows how clueless the world is.
1) you don’t have to stand with Ukraine, you have to pray that no Jew should be harmed in this conflict
As a matter of a fact the Ukrainians murdered 100 and 1000s of Jews during the WWII ym”s
2)and btw the way you mock the US for doing nothing
I would rather mock the monkey barnett ym”s for his response to Ukraine help
I don’t have to do anything. I’m doing so because it’s the right thing to do.
Every European country has blood on their hands when it comes to the Jews over the past 2,000 years, certainly Russia and Ukraine and guilty of this, but so is every other country on that blood stained continent.
Who is barnett?
Bennet (naftali)
So like you said all countries have blood on their hand don’t stick up for these antisemites
1. I don’t live in Israel, I live in America. And I certainly don’t say ym”s about fellow Jews.
I’d highly suggest learning the Tanya portion of the day (Chapter 32). https://www.chabad.org/library/tanya/tanya_cdo/aid/7911/jewish/Chapter-32.htm
2. Halachah hi: Eisav sonei es Yaakov. Full stop. That doesn’t mean I can’t see right from wrong, never mind that the President of Ukraine is Jewish.
+1
Great response Dan! A Tefach Hecher!
It may be time for the CIA to take out Putin. What do you think?
It’s crazy that trolls are commenting on ddf. It makes sense of some comments I’ve seen on ywn
nope. ywn is itself run russian trolls.
It’s highly likely that US will follow suit and is giving citizens a chance to leave in a semi normal route without having to fly to a few middle eastern countries or china
Switzerland who is unlikely to block flights at any point would likely ontinue flying to moscow as well
So pretty much spot on 48 hrs after warning citizens to leave Russia us announces flight ban
There is no semi normal route from Russia to the US with the EU/Canada blockade.
The goal has never been to block travel to moscow there are thousands of Americans and eu citizens there , when British blocked Russia they’d have continued flying to Moscow but obviously Moscow retaliated it’s already now extremely difficult for Russian airlines to fly to north America no matter what the us does now, except for sparsely populated eastern russia to alaska
The eu and Canada aren’t blocking America flights originating in moscow
Moscow to LA, Miami, NYC, Cancun, and more are all cancelled for tomorrow/Tuesday.
But more importantly the only airspace blocked to us flights run by us airline is Belarus western border Russia near war zone and Ukraine itself , Russia hasn’t at least officially blocked us until they block russia
As far as I know Turkey has not blocked airspace
This isn’t very accurate re Zelenskyy. He did run on anti-corruption but has lost his support over the past few years as he didn’t change much and was caught in the Panama Papers. That isn’t to say he isn’t heroic, it’s the idea that he came and turned around Ukraine isn’t accurate. I’m extremely impressed with him during this time though.
Panama papers you refer to are about money he put there at least two years before his presidency. He didn’t have any government position before, he is well known and made a lot of money in private sector, so there is nothing wrong if he chose to keep honestly earned money in off shore accounts.
Look into why his polling dropped. He started with 70% voting for him and before this war fell below 30% on account of promises not kept and corruption. Again, huge respect to him for this and for being much better than the others, but he does have a way to go as well.
My real question is, is anyone sympathizing with Russia? Is North Korea, China, Syria (which they did fight for) or any of the other countries on their side? I highly doubt he went into this knowing no other country would side him. He’s no dummy and no doubt he has some things up his sleeve….
The support of North Korea and Syria are pretty meaningless on a practical level. China isn’t fully supporting him and is trying to walk a fine line right now. Belarus and maybe some of the other republics of the former USSR are supporting him which has strategic importance.
Yes, those would all support them.
Tell me who your friends are & I’ll tell you who you are…
Where is sleepy Joe? What do you mean, he wagged his finger very sternly at Putin and told him that there will be dire consequences.
Besides he is very busy trying to place a Black woman on the supreme court. That is much more important than Russia murdering innocent civilians.
+1!
“Who would have thought we’d see pictures like this in Europe in this century?”
What about this century is fundamentally different than any other century? Fast internet? better medicines?
Don’t let millennials and their ideocracies throw you. The Russian remains a Russian and the Ukrainian remains a Ukrainian. The same for the Chinaman, Israeli, Palestinian and German, and everywhere else. If they killed then, they will kill now. if they kill now, they will kill then. It’s a verse in Koheles after all. Nothing about this century is fundamentally different. It’s just numbers. And besides its the Jewish calendar that counts most for me and you.
Precisely.
The murderous Germans didn’t suddenly shed their Amalek gene, the tyrannical Russians didn’t suddenly become gentle teddy bears, and the vicious Ukrainians who so enthusiastically murdered their Jewish neighbors, didn’t suddenly become Jew-lovers.
I have no idea why any Jew would be found in those blood-soaked countries and couldn’t care less what happens to those countries. Hopefully those Jews who are there will flee for once and for all, but if they choose to stay, that’s their choice. Short memories are terrible for survival.
ww2 was in the previous century on the jewish calendar too
WW2 started in 5699 less than 2 weeks before 5700. So according to the Jewish calendar, the overwhelming majority of the war was in the current century
Do you mean Chinese?
You’re asking questions on dumb Biden? What else do you want know???
By the time he gets pushed into doing something it’ll be too little, too late. USA should have been the FIRST to close our airspace. Show some strength!
Interesting tweet I saw re: the tanks/army trucks out of fuel:
“A source tells me that many Russian tanks/heavy machines don’t simply run out of fuel — crews dump the fuel intentionally, as soon as they learn that their destination is Kyiv. After all they’ve been told that they were going as “peacekeepers” to “protect Russians” in Donbas.
Don’t mean, that they’re suddenly stricken with shame & don’t want to obey orders. What I’m told is that their reasons are much simpler than that: heavy machinery is an easy target for anybody, while a death trap for the riders & they don’t want to die So it’s fear, not sympathy”
https://twitter.com/fatimatlis/status/1497806778993631232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
There are still other options out of Russia. They can fly to the still few remaining destinations that you can fly to from Russia, and then fly too their destination.
How are European and Canadian citizens stuck in Russia suppose to come home now?
They have had warnings about impending war for a month already.
Warnings were mainly to leave Ukraine. Regardless, there gotta be a plan to rescue their stupider citizens too, just wondering what it is.
You can still fly to Doha, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, etc.
Though who know for how much longer.
You can still fly to israel which has shamefuly not even taken a side here
Isreal needs to use Russia controlled airspace over Syria to reach Iran
There is a good reason for Isreal not to talk to much.
Not to put the Jews in danger.
Not sure why people are saying Biden isn’t doing anything…
I am hearing that he unfollowed Putin on Instagram
How’s that going to help the Ukranians? I can’t believe that that’s all he’s doing.
Solly, I hope you understand that Bk was just joking. I would never unfollow Hunter’s BFF!
Dan, please look at today’s flight SU124. https://fr24.com/AFL124/2af5912d got a “Jew” turn back before reaching Greenland. If it were for technical reasons they’d land asap…so that’s a start?
What does “Jew” mean?
Greenland is EU controlled, so they had no choice once the ban started. But why are we allowing the Russians to fly over Alaska for example?
Or SU158 just flew over the US mainland:
https://flightaware.com/live/flight/AFL158/history/20220227/0700Z/UUEE/MMUN