Emotions ran high at the arrivals gate at John F Kennedy International Airport in New York on Monday morning as families separated from loved ones for nearly two years due to pandemic travel restrictions were reunited.
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic operated synchronized departures at 8.30am GMT from London’s Heathrow Airport to New York to celebrate the first opportunity for many UK citizens to travel to the US in more than 600 days.
Passengers who arrived from on British Airways Flight 1, the number used for the airline’s famed Concorde flights, were greeted by the applause of airline staff and tearful loved ones upon their arrival.
With proof of a full Covid-19 vaccination, travelers from a long list of countries were allowed to enter the US starting Monday for the first time since the start of the pandemic, when former President Donald Trump put the ban into effect.
The ban was extended by President Joe Biden, barring visitors from 33 countries for almost two years.
Vaccinated visitors from countries including the UK, Mexico, Canada, Brazil, South Africa and much of Europe are able to visit the US for the first time since March 2020. Some exceptions to the rule include travelers under the age of 18 and passengers from countries with low vaccination availability.
The restrictions, among the most severe in US history, kept families apart – some of which were reunited on Monday.
Among the first arrivals from South London was Bhavna Patel, 59, who finally got to hold her first grandchild, a boy who was born just over a year ago.
‘From the moment I got on the plane I was counting down the hours until I could meet him properly,’ she told The US Sun.
With a suitcase full of gifts for her grandson, Bhavna stressed that all she hoped to do while visiting was make up for lost time with her grandson.
Another UK traveler, Christian Marcelia, 26, told the Daily Mail he was ‘excited and a bit nervous’ to be flying to New York to visit his girlfriend there for the first time.
Katherine Donnelly, 52, of London, who flew in Monday said she hasn’t been in New York for more than two years and that she’s eager to visit her aunt, who has been ill.
‘I can’t wait to see her,’ she told CNBC.
Travelers departing from Heathrow also had to provide proof of a negative pre-departure test and upon entry are required to submit a valid visa or complete the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
British Airways CEO Sean Doyle said ‘it’s all about reuniting friends and families that haven’t been together for hundreds of days’.
More than 3,600 flights are scheduled to operate between Britain and the US this month, according to travel data firm Cirium. Passengers, however, will be met with hefty ticket prices, with tickets costing three times more than before.
Those crossing land borders from Mexico or Canada will require proof of vaccination but no test.
‘It’s been a long 20 months – today is the day so many of us have been waiting for. To our Canadian friends: Welcome back to New York!’ New York Governor Kathy Hochul tweeted on Monday.
The lift on the travel ban brings relief not only to families but also to the tourism industry.
For New York City, foreign tourism counts for about 50% of spending because they tend to stay longer and spend more while here, Chris Heywood, the executive vice president of NYC & Company told CBS New York.
Airlines are required to verify travelers’ vaccination records and match them with ID. If they don’t match, they could be fined.
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