Airline execs call for safe reopening of US-UK market

Airline CEOs and other travel executives this week urged the US and UK governments to safely reopen the critical US-UK market to travelers with proof of vaccination, negative COVID-19 test result or recent recovery. “Throughout the pandemic, experts have encouraged governments, businesses and the public to follow the science,” and studies “have demonstrated the near non-existent rates of viral transmission aboard an aircraft” with airlines’ new protocols, said United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby. Delta CEO Ed Bastian emphasized that, “as we see people reclaiming their lives and reconnecting with loved ones, it’s clear that the infection rates of our countries indicate an extraordinarily low risk to travel between the US and the UK, provided travelers are vaccinated or can produce a negative PCR test prior to boarding a flight,” he said.