Flights from DFW Airport to Europe are back, but many travelers need a COVID vaccine
Airlines are itching to reconnect the United States to Europe and other international destinations, even as the COVID pandemic continues to toss obstacles in their way.
Lufthansa has resumed service from DFW Airport to Frankfurt, Germany, starting May 1. In most cases, it’s still not possible for most Americans to enter Germany or many other countries in the European Union without a lengthy quarantine, but the resumption of service is still considered a big step because Lufthansa is commonly used to connect passengers to places such as Israel, India and west Africa.
Travel to India is now prohibited effective Tuesday because of a COVID outbreak in that country, the White House announced Friday.
Although travelers may soon find a growing number of international options, in many instances there’s a catch.
Travelers must not only be tested for COVID before departure, but also abide by entry requirements in their destination. And, in many cases — Greece, Iceland and Israel are good examples — visitors will be allowed to enter without quarantining if they show proof of COVID vaccination.
Despite the obstacles, airlines are hopeful that travel restrictions between the U.S. and Europe may be moving toward something resembling normal — especially for those who are vaccinated — by this summer.
“In general, there is a sense of optimism in Europe,” said Tal Muscal, U.S.-based Lufthansa spokesman.
Fort Worth-based American Airlines plans to begin flying from New York’s JFK Airport to Tel Aviv, Israel beginning May 6. American also plans to fly from JFK to Athens, Greece starting June 3.
American and its Oneworld Alliance partner British Airways also are working hard behind the scenes to expand services between the U.S., London and other United Kingdom destinations. Each airline currently flies one daily nonstop route from DFW Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport, although COVID restrictions prohibit most passengers from entering the UK unless they are willing to stay at a home or a managed quarantine hotel for 10 days.
UK officials have said they hope to open their doors to Americans who have been vaccinated starting in mid-May.
United Airlines has announced plans to fly to Croatia, Greece and Iceland beginning in July, according to USA Today. Also, Delta Air Lines plans to begin serving Iceland.
If European countries don’t relax restrictions soon, they might miss out on much of the traditional summer tourism season.
American Airlines officials cautioned that, even if routes to Europe opened immediately, it likely would take months to fill aircraft seats. Unlike domestic travelers, who often buy airplane tickets 30 to 60 days before a flight, international travelers often take much longer to arrange their travel plans.
“For some of these long-haul markets, even for business-related travel, the booking curve is much more extended. So even if markets were to reopen, so much of the actual window for purchasing for the summer has actually passed us by,” Robert Isom, American Airlines Group Inc. president, said during a recent earnings call. “So we’re going to be smart about how we ramp capacity up so that we make sure that we can match a full demand profile with the aircraft.”
To feed the appetites of many Americans who have been stuck at home for more than a year and are eager to travel, American Airlines has added flights to domestic destinations such as Orlando, Fla., Asheville, N.C. and Jackson, Wyo.
Also, American will fly more wide-body aircraft from Miami to Latin American and Caribbean destinations where U.S. visitors are welcome, as long as they obey local COVID practices. Destinations include Cali, Colombia, Lima, Peru, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“Throughout the pandemic, our trademark has been to build a schedule based on what customers tell us they want and need,” Brian Znotins, American vice president of network planning, said in an email. “And today, they are telling us they’re eager to get back to travel. With our summer schedule, we can offer customers the best network and continue welcoming them safely back to the skies.”
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 5:45 AM.
