Malaysia Airlines: MH370 families should head home

Malaysia’s civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, left, is accompanied by an unidentified Malaysia Airlines official while answering questions during a press conference after a close door meeting with Chinese relatives of the passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 at a hotel in Bangi, on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Wednesday, April 2, 2014. AP FILE PHOTO

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia Airlines is telling relatives of passengers on Flight 370 they should move out of hotels and return home to wait for news on the search for the plane.

Since the plane disappeared March 8, the airline has been putting the relatives up in hotels, where they’ve been briefed on the search. But the airline said in a statement Thursday the families should now receive the information from “the comfort of their own homes.”

The airline said it would close its family assistance centers around the world by May 7, but will establish support centers in Kuala Lumpur and Beijing. It said it would keep in close touch with the relatives through means including phone calls and meetings.

It said it would soon make advanced compensation payments to relatives.

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