One of the world’s most popular travel sectors is just 1% from reaching pre-pandemic levels. The United Kingdom-United States market is booming once again.
The time has almost come
It was a tough few years for UK-US air travel since the rise of the global health crisis. While we thought that there was a decent return this time last year, this May’s figures are through the roof.
According to data provided by Cirium, a whopping 4,414 flights are scheduled to depart the UK for the US this month. This figure is the equivalent of more than 1.1 million seats. Moreover, departures are anticipated to reach 99% of May 2019’s levels, when there were 4,456 trips scheduled.
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All in all, transatlantic activity between the two nations has increased by 22% when against May last year. The change is 493% when compared to May 2021.
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Twists and turns
While international travel opened up from the UK in the spring of 2021, and the US was busy redeploying aircraft for robust domestic services, transatlantic travel was still at a standstill. Apart from certain exceptions, the United States restricted most passengers from the UK and Europe from March 2020.
The restrictions were finally eased in the fall of 2021, paving the way for transatlantic recovery. The momentum continued in June 2022, when the US lifted its COVID test entry requirements. Additionally, just this month, the US government announced it was putting an end to its COVID-19 vaccination requirements for international passengers.
With this uptick, all major UK gateways are seeing plenty of action. Unsurprisingly, London Heathrow has the largest slice of the pie, with 86% of scheduled flights to the US. London Gatwick follows with 6%, while Edinburgh and Manchester hold a 3% share each.
Building on its legacy, New York JFK is still the most popular choice of destination for British passengers. Los Angeles, Newark, Chicago, and Boston all follow as favorites.
When it comes to airlines, British Airways dominates UK-US routes with a 31% holding. Across the pond, American Airlines and United Airlines hold 18% each.
Photo: Tupungato | Shutterstock
Virgin Atlantic also has a decent share with 16%, while Delta Air Lines makes up 10% of the action. It looks like transatlantic newcomers JetBlue and Norse Atlantic Airways have a long way to go to match these veterans, making up part of the remaining 7%.
Get all the latest aviation news for North America here.
Looking forward
It won’t be a shock to see the transatlantic segment smash records and overtake 2019’s numbers soon. It’s all systems go heading into the summer, especially with no more conditions on international travel.
As a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson previously stated:
“The relaxation of the vaccination requirement for foreign nationals removes barriers for frictionless travel to the USA, our heartland for nearly 40 years. It will give a boost to transatlantic customer demand as a busy summer approaches.”
The UK-US market offers some of the most busy and lucrative routes in the world. Thus, we can expect airlines to capitalize on the upward trend and maximize their offerings in the second half of 2023.
What are your thoughts about this transatlantic activity? What do you make of the overall prospects? Let us know what you think in the comment section.
Source: Cirium
Almost There: Transatlantic Air Travel Reaches 99% Pre-Pandemic Levels
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