The White House’s announcement, today, that it will ease foreign travel restrictions has been widely welcomed by the air travel industry. As of November, entry will be granted to vaccinated foreigners with a negative COVID-19 test no older than three days old.
“We applaud the Biden Administration for establishing a path to re-opening international travel to the US,” said Delta Air Lines spokesman Morgan Durrant. “Science tells us that vaccinations coupled with testing is the safest way to re-open travel and we are optimistic this important decision will allow for the continued economic recovery both in the US and abroad and the reunification of families who have been separated for more than 18 months.”
Worldwide, air travel is still down more than half from pre-pandemic levels, and the decline is much sharper for cross-border flying. By July, domestic travel had recovered to 84 per cent of 2019 numbers, but international travel was just 26 per cent of the same month two years ago, according to figures released this month by the airline industry’s main global trade group, the International Air Transport Association.
The new rules will replace a hodgepodge of restrictions that had barred non-citizens who had been in Europe, much of Asia and certain other countries in the prior 14 days from entering the US.
Airlines hailed the US decision as a lifeline for the struggling industry. Tim Alderslade, chief executive of industry body Airlines UK said it was “a major breakthrough.” Shai Weiss, chief executive of Virgin Atlantic, said it was “a major milestone to the reopening of travel at scale, allowing consumers and businesses to book travel to the US with confidence.”
Source: AP
