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By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON, May 11 (Reuters) - The chief executives of major
U.S. and UK passenger airlines on Tuesday called for a summit
with the two governments to speed the reopening of transatlantic
travel.
"The airline industry needs adequate lead time to establish
a plan for restarting air services, including scheduling
aircraft and crews for these routes as well as for marketing and
selling tickets," said the letter signed by the CEOs of American
Airlines , Delta Air Lines, United Airlines
, British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and JetBlue
Airways in a letter to the transport chiefs of both
countries.
A spokesman for Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and
the British Embassy in Washington did not immediately comment.
Since March 2020, the United States has barred nearly all
non-U.S. citizens who have recently been in the UK.
The letter said U.S. and UK citizens "would benefit from the
significant testing capability and the successful trials of
digital applications to verify health credentials."
The U.S. government has said it will not require digital
vaccine passports and it is unclear if the U.S. government will
set standards or issue guidance to help Americans prove to
foreign governments they have been vaccinated.
A coalition of U.S. and European travel, airline, union,
business and airport groups called last week for a full
reopening of the U.S.-UK air travel market "as soon as safely
possible."
Nearly all of Europe still bans most U.S. travelers from
visiting, while Britain allows American visits but requires a
10-day quarantine upon arrival and two COVID-19 tests.
On Friday, Britain said it would allow international travel
to resume from May 17 after months of banning most trips abroad,
but nearly all major destinations were left off its list of
countries open for quarantine-free holidays, including the
United States.
The U.S. State Department on Monday eased its UK travel
advisory ratings, lowering it to a "Level 3: Reconsider Travel"
rating.
(Reporting by David Shepardson
Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Carmel Crimmins)
