Pressure is mounting on the US to lift all COVID travel restrictions, with airlines stepping up their efforts to get the Biden administration to drop pre-departure testing.
Currently, nearly all passengers have to take a test within one day of their journey. Most unvaccinated foreigners are completely banned from entry.But with a busy summer season around the corner, how long will these strict measures hold?On Friday, American Airlines CEO Robert Isom called testing requirements "nonsensical" adding that they were "depressing" leisure and business travel.
Isom met with US politicians on Thursday to discuss the issue, saying that 75 per cent of countries the airline flies to do not have testing requirements. "We're really frustrated and this is something that is damaging not only US travel but it just doesn't make sense," he said.
Airlines for America chief Nick Calio added that requirement is harming the US economy. The trade association says that, while domestic travel has nearly recovered to pre-pandemic levels, international trips are still 14 per cent lower than normal. "Quite frankly, the only impact the pre-departure testing requirement is having is a chilling effect on an already fragile economy here in the US," Calio explained.