Delta CEO Says NY-to-London Corridor Not as Easy as First Thought

A New York-to-London air travel corridor might not be as easy as some people think, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said on Sunday.

According to Fox Business News, Bastian believes the proposal to create a virtual travel bubble between the two major cities would be more complicated than first thought and even said London might not be the right choice to try this corridor plan to restart trans-Atlantic travel.

The route between New York and London is one of the busiest, and most profitable, in the world with numerous carriers offering flights. United Airlines, in fact, earlier this month began flights between the two cities that tested passengers for the coronavirus on both ends to ensure a COVID-free trip.

But the global resurgence of the virus is complicating matters, to the point where Bastian said it might be easier to reopen a route to almost any other European city than London.

“I think you will find on the continent several countries that are more open,” Bastian told the Financial Times, adding, “I think New York-London is complicated.”

Although this week kicked off the lucrative holiday travel season, Bastian projects that flight volume would be around 35-40 percent of last year’s level.

Fox noted that the United Kingdom is expected to announce plans to cut quarantine times for incoming passengers from 14 days to around a week, which could help increase traffic on the route.