United add summer flights to Iceland, Greece and Croatia in hopes of vaccinations boosting travel resistance

A Boeing 787 Dreamliner operated by United Airlines takes off on January 9, 2013 in Los Angeles, California, at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

David McNew | Getty Images

United Airlines said on Monday it was fleeing for the summer to Iceland, Croatia and Greece in the hope that relaxed access requirements would spur demand for popular tourist destinations.

Most of mainland Europe remains unlimited for most U.S. citizens, and airline meeting executives were pessimistic last week about changing over time for summer vacations.

But United are selecting a number of European destinations that have already weakened their travel restrictions or are expected to do so in the coming weeks.

“It creates a huge search,” said Patrick Quayle, United’s vice president for international networking and alliances.

The carrier adds a Chicago-Reykjavik flight from July 1 to October 3 after Iceland announced last month that tourists from outside Europe would be allowed to visit without a quarantine if they could provide proof of a Covid-19 vaccine .

Following the announcement, Delta Air Lines said it would resume Iceland’s service from New York and Minneapolis and add a flight to Boston. United had earlier announced service from Newark to Iceland which would run from June 3 to October 29.

United will also provide service from Newark to Dubrovnik, Croatia, three times a week from 8 to 3 October. The country allows visitors who can provide evidence of a negative Covid-19 test or proof of vaccination.

Greece said last month that it would open its borders in mid-May to vaccinated tourists or to those who recently showed a negative Covid test result. Reuters reported last week that relocation could already take place this week.

United have said they plan to add a Washington Dulles-to-Athens flight that will operate from October 1 to 3, in addition to its Newark-Athens service, which he is expected to resume in June. 3.

International service is still down, although more people are being vaccinated and some travel restrictions have been lifted.

In May, international flights will account for 40% of United’s total capacity, compared to 45% during the same month of 2019. Domestic demand for recreation has recovered to near pre-pandemic levels, managers recently said. American Airlines and Delta say they will place large aircraft – typically used for long-haul flights – on popular domestic routes this summer.

A bright spot internationally for United was North Latin America, such as Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, Quayle said. He said he did not expect the rest of Europe to open immediately, although United would resume from Newark to Milan and Rome and from Chicago to Munich and Amsterdam next month.

“I am very optimistic about the UK and the US to create an airlift between the two countries,” he said.

.Source