Travel Corridor Between NYC and London Said to Be in the Works

Your dreams of a European vacation during the pandemic may be getting closer to reality.

The Wall Street Journal recently reported that a new travel corridor could open between New York City and London in time for the holidays at the end of the year. The paper reported that travelers would be tested in New York City before boarding their flight to London and then again upon arrival in the U.K., with a shortened quarantine time once they leave the airport. Currently, a 14-day quarantine is required for all U.S. travelers arriving in the U.K. It is not clear what the new isolation requirement would be, but it is expected to be significantly shorter.

Eliminating a major obstacle already, the article states that the White House’s National Security Council has approved the plan, which is possible because of increased availability of rapid COVID-19 tests in the U.S. Travel between the two cities would be a significant development for the travel industry, which has been pummeled by the pandemic.

“Our team is cautiously optimistic about the prospect of this travel corridor opening up between New York and London. We’ve maintained our operating teams and our scholar network,” said Evan Frank, CEO of Context Travel, which operates expert-led tours around the world. “We are already able to operate a limited number of tours in these destinations, depending on specific venue restrictions and always following appropriate COVID-19 safety protocols.” 

As of now, U.S. travelers are mostly not welcome in other European destinations outside of the U.K., and travelers from the EU cannot come to the U.S. unless they are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The continued high rates of coronavirus infections in the U.S. are why travel restrictions remain for U.S. residents traveling to most European countries.

The WSJ article also mentions that similar talks are underway between the U.S. and Germany.