After almost 20 months, the US is finally reopening to international tourists today.
The unprecedented travel ban, implemented in March 2020 in response to the pandemic, saw travellers from the UK, EU and various other countries worldwide allowed into the States for only a handful of “essential reasons”.
From 8 November, entry restrictions have been lifted for all fully vaccinated arrivals.
In celebration, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic staged an historic simultaneous take-off from London Heathrow’s two runways this morning.
Both planes are bound for New York.
“This really feels like proper travel is back – and back to something like normality,” said Mark Jones, The Independent’s correspondent who is taking the first BA flight out to the US. “Except I’m FAR more excited than I’d normally be for a business trip.”
Follow all the latest updates below.
Travel is back with a bang
This really feels like proper travel is back – and back to something like normality. Except I’m FAR more excited than I’d normally be for a business trip.
I even spent the night in an airport hotel, the Sofitel, so I could be at the gate extra early. I’d forgotten the anonymity and ever-present low hum of airport hotels: things I actually quite like. It’s like being in an airlock between places.
(Mind, I am only spending eight hours here, not three weeks).
It’s nice to have first world worries again. The first is working out where your room is in a Sofitel. They have some fiendishly brilliant French numbering system that requires Room 2316 to be on the third floor.
The room (when I find it) is fine and soothing with oblong lamps made to look like Japanese screens and an imitation Eames chair and footstool. So nice to be able to nick white slippers and ESPA toiletries again. But WHERE is the fluffy bathrobe? WHERE? Don’t tell me they’re a casualty of Covid…
Mark Jones8 November 2021 07:35
US travel restarts
Good morning, and welcome to The Independent’s travel liveblog. As the US finally reopens to British tourists, we have two correspondents out in the field reporting back: Simon Calder, who crossed the border on foot from Canada at midnight, and Mark Jones, who is onboard the first British Airways London-NYC flight since restrictions ended for vaccinated travellers.
We’ll be posting updates from their journeys throughout the day, and finding out what the “new normal” is like for US tourists in the pandemic era.
Helen Coffey8 November 2021 07:33
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