Skift Take
As countries in Europe prepare to open their borders to vaccinated Americans this summer, airlines are seeing a spike in demand for travel. But the industry's focus needs to be on having sufficient manpower to verify proof of vaccinations prior to boarding.
Airlines are gearing up for a potentially hot and profitable summer of transatlantic travel as more Americans and Europeans become fully vaccinated and are making their travel plans after being cooped up for over a year.
Following the news that Americans may be welcome in Europe if they're vaccinated, searches for flights to Europe increased by 19 percent at Chicago-based United Airlines, an airline spokesperson said.
United is planning to resume direct flights from its bases in Newark, Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. to Rome, Athens, Amsterdam, Reykjavik and a few other European cities between May and July, the United spokesperson said
There is strong demand for markets open to U.S. travelers, and the Atlanta-based carrier Delta is resuming service
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