The Promise of Open U.S.-UK Travel This Summer: Where Does It Stand?

The prospect of a UK-U.S. travel corridor opening this summer just in time for the peak travel season has fueled even more optimism from travel leaders eager to avoid a second lost summer. No firm plans have been revealed for a restriction-free travel corridor between the two countries, but U.S. airline executives say talks with the UK government have been productive. A corridor could open as early as June or July. When that happens, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said "I think you're going to have a hard time finding a hotel room in the UK, because there's going to be so many people wanting to go." Separately, European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen said Sunday that the European Union would allow U.S. travelers who have been vaccinated with an approved shot to enter the EU unconditionally, although she did not offer a timeline for when that may occur. United reported that searches for flights to Europe rose 19 percent in the last week as travelers reacted to the UK and European news. The UK has banned most international travel until May 17 in an attempt to contain Covid-19 while the country progresses with its vaccine effort. For when travel is once again permitted, the government has proposed a "traffic light" system, which would rank countries as "green, amber, or red" based on how they have controlled the disease and how widespread vaccinations are. At an online airline industry conference last week, European airline CEOs were positive about the plan, saying that it would provide greater clarity and make it easier to plan schedules. Green, amber and red categories will be used to classify, respectively, which destinations will be exempt from any quarantines on arrival in the UK and which will face the strictest 10-day government-managed quarantine hotel stays, among other requirements. For now, whether the U.S. will receive the “green light” from th