Pleasure and emotion aboard a flight from London to New York as journey resumes

Teheram Qureshi hugs a family member as he arrives at John F. Kennedy International Airport from London after the removal of entry restrictions on non-US residents to help contain the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in New York , USA, November 8, 2021. REUTERS / Carlos Barria

ABOARD AA 101, November 8 (Reuters) – In row 22 of a full American Airlines (AAL.O) On a Monday morning flight from London to New York, Christopher and Zoe Perrotton put on their seat belts.

AA 101 was preparing to take off from London’s Heathrow Airport for a flight to the US for New York on Monday canceled When the COVID-19 pandemic began in early 2020, travel restrictions hit much of the world.

The Perrottons, both British hiring managers, got married last August but haven’t been able to celebrate. A little over eight hours later, they landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on a sunny day.

“This is a bit of a mini honeymoon,” said Christopher, 36, when they landed. “America said they were going to open up and we thought we’d have booked a few flights to New York on the occasion.”

Your plan for six nights in the Big Apple? “We eat and drink as much as we can,” said Christopher with a smile at the baggage claim.

the Travel banFirst imposed in early 2020, had denied entry to most non-US citizens traveling from 33 countries – including China, India and much of Europe – and also restricted entry overland from Mexico and Canada.

The United States lagged many other countries in their decision to finally lift travel restrictions, made possible by the introduction of coronavirus vaccines and crucial to revitalizing tourism around the world.

Months of pent-up demand led to a sharp rise in bookings on Monday, with travelers having to provide official vaccination records and a recent negative virus test.

Brad, a 34-year-old American living in England, was waiting for his UK partner Kelly, 33, to join him after flying to the US to visit his parents. Both only gave their first names.

Kelly, who hadn’t traveled to the US at all during the pandemic, scolded Brad about her flying experience.

“It was very busy,” she told him upon arrival. “I kept hearing that your flights were always empty!”

The flight went smoothly, said British couple Jill and Stephen Brownbill, who had crossed the Atlantic to meet their 9-week-old grandson.

“We waited so long for this,” Stephen said after kissing the little boy on arrival as Jill held him. “Technology is an amazing thing, but there is no comparison.”

Writing by Alexandra Ulmer, editing by Rosalba O’Brien

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