- United and Delta are offering seasonal daily service to Iceland and Greece this summer.
- Both countries are heavily dependent on tourism, and the EU is under pressure to reopen to travelers.
- International travel continued to decline more than 75% in March compared to 2019, industry data show.
U.S. tourists eager to go abroad will be able to visit three European destinations this summer, as long as they can prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19.
On Monday, United Airlines announced that it would begin seasonal service to Iceland and Greece in July.
United’s move follows Delta’s announcement last month that it will offer daily service to Iceland from three US cities (Boston Logan, Minneapolis-St. Paul and John F. Kennedy International Airports) from May, and Delta’s route map shows flights from JFK resumes to Athens in June.
In addition, United offers routes to Croatia three times a week, reflecting an increase in search activity on its website over the past month, the company told Bloomberg. Each of the European routes is new to United and is as follows: Chicago to Reykjavik, Iceland from June 3; Washington-Athens, Greece from 1 July; and Newark from July 8 to Dubrovnik, Croatia.
Iceland is part of the Schengen zone of visa-free travel, but is not a member of the European Union, and is therefore exempt from the general restriction on visitors from outside the EU. Iceland Air recently warned international travelers that the country could not be used as a kind of back door to the continent, saying: “further travel from Iceland to the rest of Europe is currently not allowed for Schengen residents.”
Greece, meanwhile, has only lifted its restrictions for U.S. travelers who can produce a vaccination certificate or a negative COVID test result. As a member of the EU, the move by Greece puts additional pressure on the bloc to travel wider again.
Both Greece and Iceland are heavily dependent on tourism dollars. Tourism accounts for about a tenth of Greece’s economy and revenues are down 80% due to the pandemic. In 2019, tourism represents 42% of the Icelandic economy. In an effort to encourage visitors, Iceland Air promotes return prices as low as $ 349 and abandons exchange rates to give flyers greater flexibility while traveling.
Data from a trade group shows that international travel fell by more than 75% in March compared to 2019.