Washington Urged to Restart International Travel

The US travel sector is urging Washington to reinstate transatlantic lines with the United Kingdom as soon as possible.

By sending a statement to the Biden administration outlining criteria for the return of foreign travelers, a coalition of 24 trade organizations representing a broad slice of the US economy is renewing calls to relax limitations on international travel to America.

They predict that each week the travel Covid limits continue in place, the US economy loses $1.5 billion in spending from Canada, the European Union, and the United Kingdom — enough money to support 10,000 American jobs.

Roger Dow, president, and CEO of the US Travel Association, said: “The travel industry agrees that being guided by the science is absolutely the correct approach, and the science has been telling us for some time that it’s possible to begin to safely reopen international travel.

“Our document continues to prioritize safety while providing a roadmap for solving for the billions of dollars in economic damage resulting from the continued restrictions on crossing our borders, in particular from allied countries with similar vaccination rates. We have the knowledge and the tools we need to restart international travel safely, and it is past time that we use them.”

Nicholas Calio, the president and Chief executive officer of Airlines for America, added:“US airlines have been and continue to be strong advocates for a risk-based, data-driven approach to safely resuming international travel as laid out in the blueprint.

“We have leaned into science throughout this crisis, and research has consistently determined the risk of transmission onboard aircraft is very low.

“In fact, the Harvard Aviation Public Health Initiative concluded that being on an airplane is as safe if not safer than routine activities such as eating in a restaurant or going to the grocery store.

“The science is clear – it is time, if not past time, for the US government to take action and reopen travel between the US and low-risk countries.”

The roadmap advises the federal government to take the following immediate actions toward reopening:

Given the two countries’ identical immunization records, quickly abolish entrance restrictions and reopen travel between them. 

According to Mayo Clinic research, a person infected with Covid-19 has a one in 10,000 chance of boarding a flight from the UK to the US. According to the same study, the likelihood of an infected passenger infecting another passenger on a flight from the UK to the US is much smaller, at one in a million passengers.

Allow fully vaccinated individuals from non-high-risk nations to enter the US more quickly.

By 15th July, when the US is scheduled to leave the EU, entrance restrictions should be eased.