Transatlantic airline rivals British Airways and Virgin Atlantic are to celebrate the reopening of the US to UK nationals with a dual take-off as flights depart from Heathrow to New York.
The show of unity marks the first day since March 16, 2020, that the majority of UK nationals have been able to fly to the US.
This morning, British Airways flight BA001, a flight number previously reserved for Concorde, and Virgin Atlantic flight VS3, will both depart Heathrow for New York JFK at 08.30.
The carriers said their first-ever synchronised take-off is to recognise their joint campaigning efforts on the restart of UK-US travel after more than 600 days.
More: Virgin Atlantic poll shows Brits’ most sought-after US experiences
BA confirms cabin crew recruitment drive as demand returns
In 2019, 22 million people travelled between the two countries, along with 900,000 tonnes of cargo.
From today, fully-vaccinated arrivals from the UK and EU are able to enter the US without quarantine. It follows the UK government’s move to allow vaccinated US arrivals without quarantine from August 2.
Sean Doyle, chairman and chief executive of British Airways, said: “Today is our moment to celebrate the UK-US reopening. We’re setting aside rivalry and, for the first time ever, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic aircraft will be seen taking-off together to mark the vital importance of the transatlantic corridor.
“Transatlantic connectivity is vital for the UK’s economic recovery, which is why we’ve been calling for the safe reopening of the UK-US travel corridor for such a long time. We must now look forward with optimism, get trade and tourism back on track and allow friends and families to connect once again.”
Shai Weiss, Virgin Atlantic chief executive, said: “Today is a time for celebration, not rivalry.
“Together with British Airways, we are delighted to mark today’s important milestone, which finally allows consumers and businesses to book travel with confidence.
“The US has been our heartland for more than 37 years and we are simply not Virgin without the Atlantic. We’ve been steadily ramping up flying to destinations including Boston, New York, Orlando, Los Angeles and San Francisco, and we can’t wait to fly our customers safely to their favourite US cities to reconnect with loved ones and colleagues.
“As the UK forges its recovery from the pandemic, the reopening of the transatlantic corridor and the lifting of Presidential Order 212F acknowledges the great progress both nations have made in rolling out successful vaccine programmes. The UK will now be able to strengthen ties with our most important economic partner, the US, through boosting trade and tourism.”
The airlines said they were “thankful” to both UK prime minister Boris Johnson and the Biden administration in the US for their support in removing barriers to transatlantic travel.
The UK’s transport secretary, Grant Shapps, said: “This historic event marks a significant moment for the aviation sector. Transatlantic travel has long been at the heart of UK aviation and I’m delighted to see flights return in time for Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
Latest Foreign Office travel advice says: “Fully vaccinated air passengers arriving to the US from a foreign country must get a Covid-19 test no more than three days before their flight departs.
“Most travellers that are not fully vaccinated will need to test no more than one day before travel or present a negative result or documentation of having recovered from Covid-19 in the past three months to the airline before boarding the flight.”
Travel Weekly is on board Virgin Atlantic flight VS3 and will be reporting from New York on the US reopening.
More: Virgin Atlantic poll shows Brits’ most sought-after US experiences