As the United States reopens its doors to fully immunized international travelers, Delta Air Lines reunites families and friends who have been separated in the past 20 months. In the six weeks since the announcement of the reopening of the United States, Delta saw a 450% increase in bookings at international outlets compared to the six weeks before the announcement. Many international flights are expected to operate at 100% on Monday, November 8, with high passenger volume in the following weeks.

The reopening has a positive impact on customers in 33 countries around the world, Delta serving 10 of them nonstop and more through its global hubs in conjunction with its partners, including Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic. Strong demand is reflected among 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 United States 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 haven’t been able to see their loved ones for almost two years,” said Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta. “Although we have seen many countries reopen their borders to US visitors over the summer, our international customers have not been able to fly with us or visit the United States. All of that is changing now. We are grateful to the U.S. government for lifting travel restrictions and look 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 land in the United States under the new rules at 9:35 a.m. on Monday, with dozens further behind.

As consumer confidence in travel returns, Delta is increasing flights from key European cities this winter 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 gives a boost to global economies while simultaneously marking the start of the resumption of Delta’s international activities. The airline announced this summer that its leisure activities in the United States have already rebounded to 2019 levels, but ongoing border restrictions have prevented a significant recovery across the globe. Inbound international travel to the United States contributed $ 234 billion in export revenues to the U.S. economy, generated a trade surplus of $ 51 billion, and directly supported 1.2 million U.S. jobs in 2019 *.

Entry requirements

Foreign nationals will be allowed to enter the United States with proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test taken within three days of departure. Unvaccinated foreign nationals can only enter the United States if they meet very limited exceptions criteria and agree to undergo testing, quarantine, and vaccination after arrival. Customers must also provide details to meet US contact tracing requirements. Further information on entry requirements is available at the Delta Travel Planning Center and through official US government resources.

All customers 2 years and older are required to wear a face cover throughout the trip, while Delta’s enhanced cleanliness measures also remain in place. These include regular cleaning and disinfection of heavily affected areas on board airplanes and at airports, as well as electrostatic spraying of aircraft interiors with a high quality disinfectant to ensure that no surfaces pass through. unnoticed.

Facilitate international travel

To help customers navigate entry requirements, new enhancements are coming to delta.com and the Fly Delta app this month. These include:

• Easier management of entry requirements with Delta FlyReady – the airline’s digital solution designed to automatically verify government-required health documents. Starting November 8, customers on almost any international route to the United States can use Delta FlyReady to directly upload and verify their proof of vaccination. Once the requirements are met, an indicator on the customer’s boarding pass will verify that they are ready to depart. **
• A redesigned Delta Discover Map experience, powered by Smartvel, that will allow customers to easily filter destinations based on health requirements, including vaccination status, for a more personalized customer view.

* United States Travel Association

** Customers using Delta FlyReady should always bring hard copies of their test results and other required documents with them on the day of travel, in accordance with requirements in some destinations. Delta FlyReady status is not accepted in lieu of other government required documents.