Bloomberg: “The European Union lifted travel restrictions for U.S. residents, in the latest step toward a return to normal flying despite concerns over the spread of potentially dangerous coronavirus variants. Albania, Hong Kong, Lebanon, Macau, North Macedonia, Serbia, and Taiwan were also added to a so-called ‘white list’ of countries from which non-essential travel is allowed. The new rules will take effect within days, as soon as they are published in the Official Journal of the EU. While some EU member states already allow vaccinated Americans to visit, inclusion in the white list means that restrictions will be lifted across the bloc. It also means that countries can allow quarantine-free travel from the U.S., independently of vaccination status.”
“The move will provide a boost for major carriers such as Air France-KLM and Deutsche Lufthansa AG that ply the profitable transatlantic corridors along with their American counterparts. Long-distance travel has been hit hard by restrictions brought on by the pandemic. The decision is ‘great news for the EU economies and all transatlantic travel supply chain participants,’ said Martin Ferguson, vice president of public affairs at corporate travel agency American Express Global Business Travel. ‘We anticipate a strong return of bookings on these routes.'”