What next in the UK-US Market?
It is now 18 months since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and the UK-US aviation market has changed beyond imagination. Norwegian Air, who's largest base was London Gatwick, has given up on long haul flying (1), Delta Airlines cancelled plans to serve London Gatwick and Manchester, American Airlines and United Airlines left Manchester, British Airways cut two US routes from London Heathrow and Virgin Atlantic consolidated its London operation at London Heathrow. Its fair to say, the sector was torn apart in 2020 and 2021, however, with the vaccine rollout, borders reopening and increasing pressure to return to normality, the sector is demonstrating signs of recovering and new players entering the market. Since 2 August 2021, the United Kingdom has allowed vaccinated visitors from the United States to enter the country without quarantine, with a pre-departure and Day 2 test only. This allowed airlines including British Airways, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic to record surge ...