Chief executives of several US and UK airlines are urging the transportation leaders of both countries to conduct a summit exploring how to safely open a transatlantic travel corridor.
In a letter to US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and UK transport secretary Grant Shapps, the executives said the two countries' vaccine rates—both on track so that all willing adults will have received at least the first dose of a vaccine by the end of July—was the "foundation for the UK and the US to lead the world by demonstrating how to safely reopen this crucial air corridor." As of now, 44.7 per cent of the US adult population is fully vaccinated, as is 34.3 per cent of the UK adult population.
"Public health must guide the reopening of international air travel, and we are confident that the aviation industry possesses the right tools, based on data and science, to enable a safe and meaningful start to transatlantic travel," the executives wrote. "US and UK citizens would benefit from the significant testing capability and the successful trials of digital applications to verify health credentials."
US visitors to the UK currently face a 10-day quarantine, and the US is largely restricting visitors from the UK.
The letter's signers included American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, British Airways CEO Sean Doyle, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian, JetBlue Airways CEO Robin Hayes, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby and Virgin Atlantic CEO Shai Weiss, representing the largest carriers in both countries with transatlantic service or, in the case of JetBlue, plans to launch it. Airlines for America president and CEO Nicholas Calio also signed the letter.