Travellers across the world prepared on Monday to be reunited with loved ones in the United States for the first time in nearly two years, as restrictions were lifted to allow non-U.S citizens to fly there, provided they are vaccinated.
"We went from zero activity to one that is similar to October 2019 levels, so before COVID," said Jerome Thomann, of Paris-based Jetset Voyages travel agency, which specialises in trips to North America.
There are expected to be few if any empty seats on many of the international flights on Monday, and passenger volume is expected to remain high in coming weeks. The reopening of the United States to British travellers will help all airlines operating between the two countries, but for UK-based trans-Atlantic-focused Virgin Atlantic, it means "the world", its chief executive said.
"This is the market that is at the heart of everything that we do," CEO Shai Weiss said in an interview.Delta said in the six weeks since the U.S reopening was announced it has seen a 450% increase in international point-of-sale bookings versus the six weeks prior to the announcement. Airlines, which have warned there will likely be long queues at first, will check vaccination documentation for international travellers as they currently do for COVID-19 test results.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Paid fellowships in the United StatesIf you possess a love of writing, inquiry and debate, we want to hear from you! We’re hiring for a one-year paid fellowship in the US. The deadline to apply is December 31st
Read more »
China's Oct trade surplus with the United States at $40.75 blnChina's trade surplus with the United States was $40.75 billion in October, Reuters calculations based on customs data showed on Sunday, down from $42 billion in September.
Read more »
The United States is opening to vaccinated international travelers on Monday. Here's what to expectThe United States is flinging its doors wide open to vaccinated international travelers on Monday, welcoming many visitors who've been shut out of the country for 20 months.
Read more »
Australia’s uneven Covid spread makes states wary of lifting lockdownAfter the strict Covid-19 lockdown, Australia is about to reopen to the world. Traveling between states inside the country is more difficult.
Read more »
Politics killed national free community college --- for now, but advocates vow to ‘keep going’ as momentum continues in statesA couple months ago, a nationwide program for providing two years of community college tuition-free seemed on the verge of becoming reality. So what went wrong?
Read more »