ATLANTA, USA, (DELTA News Hub) – As the US reopens to fully vaccinated international travelers, Delta Air Lines is reuniting families and friends who have been kept apart for the past 20 months. In the six weeks since the US reopening was announced, Delta has seen a 450 percent increase in international point-of-sale bookings versus the six weeks prior to the announcement. Many international flights are expected to operate 100 percent 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 ten of these nonstop and more via its global hubs in connection with its partners, including Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic. The strong demand is 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 US 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 Ed Bastian, Delta’s chief executive officer. “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.”
Flight DL106 from Sao Paulo to Atlanta will be Delta’s first international flight to touch down in the US 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.
Atlanta, Delta’s hometown airport, remains its busiest international hub with 56 daily departures to 39 international destinations. It is followed by the most-visited US city, New York-JFK, which has 28 daily departures to 21 international cities.
The milestone reopening provides a boost to global economies while simultaneously marking the start of the recovery of Delta’s international business. The airline reported this summer that its US domestic leisure business has already rebounded to 2019 levels, but ongoing border restrictions have prevented a meaningful recovery across the globe. International inbound travel to the U.S. contributed $234 billion in export income to the U.S. economy, generated a trade surplus of $51 billion and directly supported 1.2 million American jobs in 2019*.
Entry requirements
Foreign nationals will be permitted to enter the US 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. Customers must also provide details to meet US contact tracing requirements. More information on entry requirements is available at Delta’s Travel Planning Center and through official U.S. government resources.
All customers 2 and older, must wear a face covering throughout the journey, while Delta’s 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.
