Across the pond: Transatlantic travel booms following US border reopening
Transatlantic travel has boomed over the last 12 months following the US border’s reopening last November.
Data published today by aviation analytics firm Cirium showed that flights from the UK to the US have increased 79 per cent on last year’s level, going up to 92 per cent of pre-pandemic times.
Heathrow was the UK’s go-to hub for transatlantic travel as 88 per cent of flights departed from the west London hub this month.
While British Airways, with 35 per cent of all flights to the US, remained the preferred carrier for hopping across the pond. It was followed by the likes of Virgin Atlantic, United, American Airlines and Delta.
“The good news for consumers is that airlines are continuing to add new routes, expand their fleets and take delivery of new aircraft which shows the aviation sector is recovering and growing to meet customer demand,” Cirium told City PM
The data was backed up by figures from travel service provider Trip.com which reported a 382 per cent increase in US hotel bookings by British travellers, while 39 per cent of all US-bound flights were from the UK.
While it remains unclear if Britons will continue to fly to the US due to the cost-of-living crisis, aviation veterans believe the dollar’s strength against the pound will for sure entice more Americans to come visit the UK.
Just last week, Delta’s chief executive Ed Bastian said the US’s appetite for transatlantic travel will likely stay for a few years.
“So many Americans haven’t been able to go for up to three years,” he told journalists last week, just as its partner Virgin Atlantic launched its first route from Heathrow to Tampa.
“There’s no way you’re going to satisfy that demand in a six or nine-month timeframe.
“I think this is going to continue for several years.”