Industry welcome news with a fixed date now. Let's get bookings started.
According to reports, the U.S. will open transatlantic flights to vaccinated travelers on November 8th. This follows 18 months of restrictions that had hampered many international airlines, travel companies, and businesses.
Although the Biden administration might have said that there will be no strict requirements for South African, Brazilian and Chinese travelers who are coming to the U.S.A, testing requirements will still apply.
In the meantime, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control posted a short update online regarding the November 8 reopening. It stated that vaccines accepted for entry to the United States will include vaccines approved by the FDA or authorized by WHO and vaccines from the WHO Emergency Use List.
This announcement comes after recent news that travelers from Canada and Mexico who have been fully vaccinated will be allowed to cross into the country's border early next month.
Transatlantic travel will be sorely missed financially. The route is where many U.S. airlines make the majority of their profits. Julia Simpson, CEO, World Travel & Tourism Council in response to the reopening, stated that visitors from the UK and EU contributed more than $46billion to the U.S. economy in 2019.
Operators and travel agencies lost valuable summer seasons because they were unable to pack up and ship tourists across the Atlantic. However, many countries will have welcomed U.S. visitors to their shores.
Thomas Cook, an online travel agent, stated that web traffic to its U.S. pages has more than doubled since September 20. This is consistent with previous years. Although bookings are still low, we have sold a third more US holidays in the last three weeks than we did for the entire year. New York is most popular, Florida second, but we've seen Las Vegas return since the earlier announcement.
According to Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic Airways CEO, the UK will be able strengthen its ties with America, which will help boost trade and tourism, as well as reunite friends, family, and business colleagues. After U.S. officials announced plans to relax restrictions on vaccinations for travelers, the carrier reported a 600% increase in bookings.
Nicholas Calio, President and CEO of Airlines for America (A4A), said that the trade group was happy with the reopening and stated that the move would help boost airlines and revive economies on both coasts.
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Roger Dow, CEO of the U.S. Travel Association, praised the administration for recognising the importance of international travel for the U.S. and for connecting America with the rest of the world.
U.S. U.S. This date is crucial for airlines and travel-supported businesses as well as millions of tourists worldwide who will be able to make plans to return to the United States. International visitors opening will give a boost to the economy and help speed up the return to work in travel-related fields that were lost due travel restrictions.
The European Travel Commission praised the American partners for their exciting news that transatlantic travel has resumed in full swing. It said that it hopes to see normal connectivity returning in the next few months. However, it also pointed out that Europe is open to U.S. tourists and looks forward to welcoming them home.
I'm delighted that the US will open its borders to many countries it has been closing for months. In our recent pandemic recovery survey, almost 75 percent of respondents agreed with this action. Suzanne Neufang is the CEO of the Global Business Travel Association. International travel is essential for promoting global commerce and increasing international understanding. This milestone is a crucial support for the $1.4 trillion global business travel sector.
BREAKING: This is breaking news. Keep checking back for more updates.
UPDATED : This story has been updated to include comments from Virgin Atlantic and the U.S. Travel Association. This story was contributed by Edward Russell, an airline reporter, and Lebawit Girma, a global tourism reporter.
