As the United States reopens to fully vaccinated international travellers, Delta Air said it has seen a 450% increase in international point-of-sale bookings within six weeks since the announcement was made.
As statement from the airline said many international flights are expected to operate 100% full on Monday, November 8 with high passenger volume throughout the following weeks.
“The reopening positively impacts customers in 33 countries around the world, with Delta serving 10 of these nonstop and more via its global hubs in connection with its partners, including Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic.”
The strong demand, according to the airline, reflected across both leisure and business travelers to popular destinations such as New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Boston and Orlando.
In total, the airline will operate 139 flights from 55 international destinations in 38 countries landing in the U.S. on November 8, offering more than 25,000 seats.
“This is the start of a new era for travel and for many people around the world who have not been able to see loved ones for almost two years,” said Delta’s Chief Executive Officer, Ed Bastian.
“While we have seen many countries reopen their borders to American visitors over the summer, our international customers have not been able to fly with us or visit the US. All of that changes now. We’re grateful to the US government for lifting travel restrictions and are looking forward to reuniting families, friends and colleagues over the coming days and weeks,” he added.
However, the airline said that foreign nationals will be permitted to enter the U.S. with proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of departure. Non-vaccinated foreign nationals may enter the U.S. only if they meet criteria for very limited exceptions and commit to post-arrival testing, quarantine and vaccination.
It added that passengers must also provide details to meet U.S. contact tracing requirements even as it added that more information on entry requirements is available at Delta’s Travel Planning Center and through official U.S. government resources.
The airline also requested that all passengers, aged two and over, must wear a face covering throughout the journey, while it said that its enhanced cleanliness measures also remain in place.
These include regular cleaning and sanitizing of high-touch areas onboard aircraft and at airports as well as electrostatic spraying of aircraft interiors with high-grade disinfectant to ensure no surface goes unnoticed.
The statement confirmed that flight DL106 from Sao Paulo to Atlanta will be Delta’s first international flight to touchdown in the U.S. under the new rules on Monday at 09:35 with dozens more closely behind.
As consumer confidence in travel returns, Delta is increasing flights this winter from key European cities including London-Boston, Detroit and New York-JFK, Amsterdam-Boston, Dublin-New York-JFK, Frankfurt-New York-JFK and Munich-Atlanta.
