With the UK changing its immigration rules to allow vaccinated travellers from the European Union and the United States of America to land, Delta Air Lines is gearing up to offer more flights between the United Kingdom.
Delta is planning the following changes to its network:
- Seattle – London Heathrow – Restarts three times a week from 7th October.
- Detriot – London Heathrow – Restarts four times a week from 11th October.
- New York JFK – London Heathrow – frequency increases to 14 flights a week (Double-Daily)
All these services above will utilise a Boeing 767-400ER.
The daily operation from Atlanta to London Heathrow will continue to fly daily with an Airbus A330.
All flights feature full-flat Delta One beds, Delta Comfort+ and Main Cabin service with personal seatback entertainment screens with new premium content, Wi-Fi for purchase and free mobile messaging.
Delta operates its transatlantic flights with joint venture partner Virgin Atlantic. This adds Boston, Los Angeles and Miami as well as Atlanta and New York JFK to your options list.
For those who wish to connect in France or The Netherlands, Air France and KLM operate a combined 43 flights to the USA.
Entry Requirements
To travel to the United Kingdom, customers will need to:
- Provide both proofs of vaccination and a negative test (PCR, LAMP or antigen) taken within three days of departure.
- Take a PCR test on or before two days after arrival.
The United Kingdom has put the USA on its Amber travel List. You can check the rules here. This blog has broken down the UK Travel advice into easier to swallow chunks for those who do not enjoy wading through the Department for Transport advice.
To re-enter the USA, customers must provide proof of a negative test within three days of departure.
Delta is offering its FlyReady product to help customers travelling between the USA and the UK more easily manage testing requirements and verifies results before arrival at the airport – saving customers valuable time and lowering the risk of denied boarding.
Vaccination credentials will be integrated later this summer. Over time, the solution will limit the amount of paperwork involved in verifying a customer’s Delta FlyReady status.
However, proof of US Residence and your complete CDC vaccination card is a requirement of entry to the United Kingdom currently – as such you should bring those items in with you, or face possible denial of entry, or a ten-day isolation requirement to be imposed on you.
In Quotes
Joe Esposito, S.V.P. Network Planning for Delta said
“This long-awaited reopening marks a major milestone since the borders closed to most travelers, more than a year ago,
“We’re excited to help customers reclaim their joy of travel, always keeping their health and safety our top priority amid the dynamic environment of global travel.”
The U.S.-U.K. corridor is critical to international travel and commerce with 22 million people and 900,000 tons of cargo flown between the two countries in 2019.
Great for US Travellers. Maybe UK ones in the medium term?
It should be noted at this point that whilst US travellers can enter the United Kingdom and Europe, the USA has been very slow to reciprocate the same privileges, keeping its borders closed to arrivals from these territories – although you could spend two weeks in Mexico or another country that travel is allowed from, then travel to the USA.
For those of us who need to mend connections over a large pond, the day the US welcomes visitors from the UK and Europe won’t be a day too soon.
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