The resumption of international travel is the top priority of the aviation industry. US and UK airlines on Tuesday ramped up their call to resume US-UK travel.
A letter was sent to both US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and UK counterpart Grant Shapps. the letter was signed by CEOs of Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, American Airlines, British Airways, and Virgin Atlantic. The letter reads: “Public health must guide the reopening of international travel and we are confident that the aviation industry possesses the right tools based on data and science, to enable a safe and meaningful restart to transatlantic travel”.
A few months ago, JetBlue has prepared for the possibility of a transatlantic flight. It revealed the first major redesign of the mint seats.
Executives point out that the number of COVID vaccinations in both the US and UK can already reopen travel. The US currently bans the entry of most travelers from the UK. On the other hand, the US never made it in the green list. US visitors will also have to quarantine for 10 days if they want to enter the UK.
The US Transportation Department released a statement and said that “Just last week, Secretary Buttigieg and G7 Transport Ministers met to discuss the complexities around reopening international travel and how to do so safely”.
Variants and Resumption of US-UK Travel
The travel industry wants the resumption of US-UK travel and a travel corridor for both countries. With the progress in both US and UK vaccination programs, the travel industry believes that risks can be mitigated for both US and UK travelers.
Variants play a role in the current tip-toe approach of both US and the UK. The US included 80% of the world’s countries in its Do Not Travel list. On the other hand, there were only 12 countries on UK’s Green List. President Biden and Prime Minister Johnson are set to meet in June.
Airlines for America revealed that major US airlines lost $7 billion in Q1 of 2021. On top of that, the industry lost $35 billion in 2020.