Travel groups call to stop pre-flight Covid tests for vaccinated passengers

SAN FRANCISCO, United States (AFP) — A world coalition of travel-related organizations known as on the US authorities Wednesday to cease requiring vaccinated passengers to current a unfavorable Covid check earlier than boarding US-bound flights.

“Journey and aviation’s restoration relies on the federal government taking steps to take away journey restrictions which can be now not justified by present circumstances,” the group argued in a letter addressed to White Home coronavirus response coordinator Jeffrey Zients.

Among the many 29 signatories had been the primary advocacy organizations representing Asian, European and US airways, in addition to the US Chamber of Commerce and the US Journey Affiliation.

The chief of the group, Airways for America — which represents main US carriers together with American Airways, Delta Airways and United Airways — posted the letter to its web site.

The three corporations not too long ago famous that the Omicron variant would delay their restoration by one to 2 months.

“Clearly COVID is widespread all through the US and makes an attempt to manage its importation by way of air journey underneath at the moment’s circumstances are unlikely to vary that reality,” they argued within the letter.

The coalition additionally pointed to the European Union, which really helpful member nations carry restrictions for journey between European nations, in addition to the UK, which has determined to carry pre-departure testing necessities for vaccinated passengers.

“Surveys of air passengers point out that pre-departure testing is a number one issue within the choice to not journey internationally,” they famous, including that individuals don’t need to threat getting caught overseas in the event that they check optimistic.

“In consequence, worldwide journey in 2021 was 75 p.c beneath 2019 ranges.”

The group added that if a brand new threatening variant appeared, “pre-departure testing could possibly be simply reinstituted.”

After the catastrophic 12 months all airways had in 2020, American Airways and United each misplaced cash in 2021 — about $2 billion every.

Delta, alternatively, was in a position to eke out a small revenue of about $280 million.

Along with the pandemic upheaval, airways have additionally needed to take care of rising prices for labor and gasoline, in addition to the messy rollout of latest 5G know-how in the USA, which disrupted some flights over fears of interference with some flight gear.

© Agence France-Presse