U.S. braces for surge of vaccinated worldwide vacationers

WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (Reuters) – The United States awaits a spate of international visitors on Monday crossing its borders by air and land after the lifting of travel restrictions on much of the world’s population, first imposed in early 2020 fight the spread of COVID-. 19th

United Airlines expects about 50% more overall international arriving passengers Monday compared to last Monday when it was around 20,000.

And Delta Air Lines (FROM N) Chief Executive Ed Bastian has warned travelers to prepare for initial long lines.

“It gets a bit sloppy at first. I can ensure you, there will be lines unfortunately, “said Bastian, adding that” we will fix that “.

Delta said it has seen international point-of-sale bookings increase 450% in the six weeks since the US reopening announcement, compared to the six weeks prior to the announcement.

White House spokesman Kevin Munoz said on Twitter: “As we expect high demand when the US lifts its existing flight and land travel restrictions on Monday, we are taking critical steps to be prepared by providing additional resources.”

The Biden administration has held several talks with U.S. airlines to prepare for the influx of additional travelers who will arrive at U.S. airports and warned travelers crossing from Canada and Mexico by land or ferry to begin Monday to be prepared for longer waiting times.

To the Bhavna Patel, a flight from London will take them to New York on Monday to see their first grandchild after seeing him grow on FaceTime for over a year.

Travelers wearing face masks to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) collect their luggage at the airport in Denver, Colorado, the United States, on November 24, 2020. REUTERS / Kevin Mohatt / File Photo

The rules have banned most non-US citizens who have been in 33 countries in the past 14 days – the 26 Schengen countries in Europe without border controls, China, India, South Africa, Iran, Brazil, the UK and Ireland.

Trade group US Travel said countries accounted for 53% of all foreign visitors to the United States in 2019, and border communities were hit hard by the loss of tourists crossing from Mexico and Canada. The group estimates that the decline in international visitor numbers since March 2020 “has resulted in nearly $ 300 billion in lost export revenue.”

US airlines are stepping up flights to Europe and other destinations affected by the restrictions. Airlines are planning events for Monday where executives meet some of the first flights.

Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo and United Airlines President Brett Hart are hosting an event at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on Monday to celebrate the reopening.

US officials are planning a live chat on Instagram on November 9th to answer questions.

Many international flights are expected to be almost full or full on Monday, with heavy passenger traffic in the weeks that follow.

The airlines will be reviewing vaccination documents for international travelers as they are currently doing for COVID-19 test results. At land border crossings, U.S. Customs and Border Protection will ask if travelers have been vaccinated and will randomly check some documents.

Children under the age of 18 are exempt from the new vaccination regulations. Non-tourist travelers from nearly 50 countries with nationwide vaccination rates of less than 10% are also exempt from an exemption.

Also on Monday, new rules on contact tracing will come into force, obliging airlines to collect information from international passengers if necessary “in order to track travelers who have been exposed to COVID-19 variants or other pathogens”.

Reporting by David Shepardson

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