United To Close Three International Flight Attendant Bases

United Airlines plans to close three of its four foreign flight attendant bases in October as international air travel continues to struggle because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The Chicago-based airline will close bases in Hong Kong, Tokyo’s Narita airport and Frankfurt, according to a company memo seen by CNBC. United said about 840 flight attendants work in the three bases that are closing.

“This was certainly a very difficult decision to make, and we recognize that closing any base places a hardship on those who live near those locations,” John Slater, United’s senior vice president of inflight services, said in the memo. “In the current and future environment, we simply are not able to sustain an Inflight Base at these locations.”

Flight attendants at those locations will be given the chance to transfer to U.S. bases, depending on work eligibility, the memo said.

United also has a flight attendant base for London’s Heathrow Airport and a base for U.S. territory Guam.

“While no other base changes are anticipated at this time, we’ll continue to evaluate the viability of all locations based on the network schedule, government travel restrictions and restoration of demand,” said Slater.

The United chapter of the Association of Flight Attendants, which represents the airline’s roughly 24,000 cabin crew members called the announcement “a shock for all of us” and said “it will create tremendous uncertainty.”

The closure of these bases is likely to result in some employment while it will save the operating costs which are proving to be extra burden on exchequer.

Delta to Begin Flights from U.S. to China

Delta Air Lines will resume flights between the U.S. and China on June 25, operating twice per week between Seattle and Shanghai-Pudong via Seoul-Incheon. Starting in July, Delta will fly once per week from Seattle and Detroit to Shanghai also via Incheon.
Delta is the first U.S. airline to resume U.S. to China routes since flights were stopped in February due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced that U.S. airlines have been approved to fly four weekly flights to China, easing a standoff on travel restrictions in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Delta requires all travelers to wear face masks for travel, starting with check-in. Face coverings are required in Delta Sky Clubs, boarding gate areas, jet bridges and during the flights, except during meal service. Use is encouraged in security lines and restrooms.
Other safety measures Delta has instituted include:
  Sanitizing all aircraft with electrostatic spraying before departure and pre-flight disinfection of high-touch points.
    Use of air circulation systems with HEPA filters.
    Boarding flights back-to-front, reducing the need for passengers to pass one another.
    Streamlining onboard food and beverage service and encouraging customers to pack their own food and non-alcoholic beverages to decrease touchpoints.
    Blocking middle seats and reducing the number of passengers on each flight. For international flights, Delta is capping seating at 75 percent in Delta One suite and 60 percent in Delta Premium Select and Main Cabin.

US to Open Its Skies To European Travel

U.S. travel will soon be possible for some travelers from Europe says Donald Trump. President Trump says the U.S. plans to “open up” to travelers arriving from low-risk countries in Europe and elsewhere. This means many Europeans may soon be able to plan American vacations or business trips.

Trump’s travel ban has put a block on all travelers coming from 26 European countries as well as the U.K. and Ireland since March 13. Not just European citizens and residents, but anyone who has set foot in those places in the previous fortnight.

Speaking of the new Brazil flight ban on Wednesday, President Trump indicated the Europe travel restrictions will soon ease. At least for some arrivals. Travelers coming from countries with low Covid-19 risk profiles will be given the green light first he hinted.

“Certain announcements on countries including Europe” are to come Trump said. “Where they’re starting to make progress we’ll open it up. But only where they’re making progress ... They’re making some good progress. So are we.”

First unfurled for a 30 day period, then extended indefinitely, the ban has stopped hundreds of thousands of travelers in Europe from visiting America for leisure, work or family reasons. At the same it’s complicated the lives of many people who have a transatlantic existence. Though don’t necessarily have double citizenship or permanent residency.

The idea was to prevent travelers coming into the U.S. from Covid-19 hotspots, which Europe was at the time. Now with travel restrictions across Europe tumbling to make way for summer tourism, it’s only natural the U.S. looks to easing the rules, and rekindling Europe flights.

It won’t necessarily be reciprocal. While Europe’s internal border controls are ending, there is still doubt as to whether the EU’s external borders will open to foreigners on June 15. Given the U.S. is seen as a high-risk country, some European states don’t plan to allow American tourists at the outset as they open up to tourism. Others are yet to give details.

As to the U.K., there’s even talk of Americans dodging the British quarantine on arrival, with a bilateral deal to enable people to travel between the two over coming weeks. The exemption is yet to be announced however, with the quarantine measures starting on June 8.

WhIch Countries Allow You To Come During Summer?

A handful of countries are letting in everyone, while others are inviting only a select few.

Here is a definitive guide to the countries that are now welcoming travelers — or have indicated they will before August.

Do consider:

    We are excluding countries that require a 14-day quarantine upon entering; we assume even those staying at the poshest of places want to occasionally leave their rooms.
    Importantly, this is a list of where you can go — not whether you can ease back into your home country. Americans who have always dreamed of seeing the Maldives can likely do so only if they’ve got the vacation time for a 14-day quarantine upon returning home.
    Nearly all countries have special requirements to enter; some are noted.
    We will update this list as new information is made public.

The Caribbean

Some of the Caribbean’s most famous islands are already open, including Antigua, Jamaica, the U.S. Virgin Islands and St. Lucia.
The Bahamas officially reopens its borders on July 1.

On June 15, the Bahamas welcomed yachts and private flights; everyone else can join from July 1. Bermuda is opening its borders to travelers who comply with these measures on July 1. Also on the first day of July, Aruba welcomes residents of Canada, Europe and other Caribbean islands (excluding the Dominican Republic and Haiti); Americans can join on July 10.

Puerto Rico’s borders open on July 15. Travelers to Turks and Caicos will need to wait a little longer; it opens July 22.

Other islands are more commitment-phobic. Keith Mitchell, the prime minister of Grenada, posted on Facebook that the country is considering June 30 as a “possible date for reopening.” The French isle of Saint Martin indicated visitors could come as early as July 1, but nothing official has been announced.

Note: Some islands, including St. Lucia and Bermuda, are requiring negative Covid-19 tests within 48 to 72 hours before departure.
Europe

After a patchwork of internal border announcements in May, the EU announced Wednesday that non-Europeans would be allowed to enter from July 1.

The travel ban will be lifted “gradually and partially,” said European Commission Vice President Josep Borrell. Americans are not expected to make the first cut, instead the Commission recommended lifting travel restrictions for Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia first.

Regarding internal borders, Italy and Bulgaria have already reopened their borders to residents of most European countries. Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Hungary, Montenegro, Portugal, Slovenia and Slovakia have also loosened regulations, albeit to a more restricted list of countries.
Italy has reopened its borders to most European countries but not everyone has returned the gesture.

In mid-June, the continent took a giant leap forward to reopen internally for summer travel. On June 13, Poland reopened its borders to EU nations. On June 15, Germany lifted a travel ban to 31 European countries, Greece to 29 countries (including Australia) and the Netherlands to 12 EU countries. Iceland, Belgium, France and Switzerland opened their borders to all EU and Schengen Area travelers, though travelers from U.K. are subject to a 14-day quarantine in France.

June 15 also marks easing of restrictions among the Nordic countries of Norway, Denmark and Finland. The countries are excluding Sweden, which has taken a more lax approach to contain coronavirus infections.

Spain moved plans to open its borders forward; residents of EU and Schengen Area nations (except for Portugal) can enter starting June 21. The Schengen Area is a group of 26 European countries that includes non-EU countries like Switzerland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Iceland.

A few considerations:

    Until June 30, travelers to Greece arriving from areas of high infection rates (regardless of nationality) must take a Covid-19 test on arrival, stay overnight at a designated hotel and undergo quarantine (seven days for negative tests and 14 for positive results). Thereafter, passengers are subject to random testing.
    Certain parts of southern Italy, including Puglia, Basilicata and Sardinia, require travelers to send health and registration forms before arriving.
    Travelers who are allowed into Iceland can avoid a 14-day quarantine by testing negative for Covid-19 upon arrival at Keflavik International Airport.

Asia

Asia is largely closed to foreign holidaymakers for the time being. Most countries have not announced dates when they will open, though the Indonesian island of Bali is said to be reopening in October.

Rumors that Thailand was opening to international travelers on July 1 were squashed last month when Yuthasak Supasorn, the governor of the Tourism Authority of Thailand, said tourists may return in the fourth quarter of the year “at the earliest.”
Opening July 1, the Maldives is allowing travelers in without new visa requirements and fees.
Opening July 1, the Maldives is allowing travelers in without new visa requirements and fees.
amriphoto

So where can you explore in Asia? Private jets and yachts are already welcome in the Maldives, and commercial airlines are scheduled to resume from July 1. After announcing testing and visa protocols, the country appears to be backing off those requirements for now.

On June 17, Taiwan opened its borders, albeit ever so slightly. Short-term business travelers from select Asia Pacific countries can enter (though shortened quarantine requirements still apply). Japan is also allowing select business travelers from Vietnam and Thailand to enter as early as July.

Turkey has indicated it will be welcoming tourists in July, as has the Caucasus nation of Georgia (though who exactly can enter Georgia is unclear).

Sri Lanka is preparing to reopen its borders to all nationalities on Aug. 1, if individuals can produce proof of medical insurance, plan to stay at least five nights, and can show a negative Covid-19 test taken less than 72 hours before departure. Travelers to the “teardrop island” will also undergo a second test upon arrival.
French Polynesia

French Polynesia announced tourists from all countries can arrive from July 15.

The country, which includes Tahiti, Mo’orea and Bora Bora, is requiring travelers to have either a negative Covid-19 test (administered 72 hours before departure) or an “immunity certificate” that proves you’ve recovered from a previous infection. Travelers may be retested during their stay.
North America

Travel to the U.S. is prohibited for some nationalities; all others may be subject to state-mandated quarantines, such as Hawaii’s 14-day quarantine requirement that was extended this week to July 31.

Canada has two-week quarantine requirements too. The border closure for nonessential travel between the U.S. and Canada has been extended through July 21, though it’s reported some Americans are entering via a “loophole” that allows travelers to transit through Canada in order to drive to Alaska.
The Riviera Maya in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo is open to international travelers.

Mexico is opening state by state, and Quintana Roo — home to Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Cozumel and Tulum — opened this week. Los Cabos officially reopened on June 15, and flights from major U.S. cities, such as Los Angeles, Dallas and Chicago, are scheduled to resume in late June to July.

Mexico’s travel industry has been hindered by a joint agreement between Mexico and the U.S. that restricts nonessential travel until July 21. Mexico has also been named one of seven coronavirus “international hot spots” — a list that also includes the United States.
The Middle East

From Israel to Qatar, much of the Middle East is not open for travel yet.

A trip to Dubai may be possible in the latter half of the summer. It’s reported to be opening sometime between July to September.
Africa

Popular African tourist destinations, such as Morocco and South Africa, have not announced plans to loosen border restrictions yet.

After widespread reports that South Africa wouldn’t open until 2021, the country’s tourism officials clarified this week that this was a “worst-case scenario” and that it hopes to welcome travelers by September.

Last week, the Seychelles opened to tourists arriving on a private jet, chartered flight or yacht. Plans to resume commercial flights are set for July.
Commerical flights are expected to resume to the Seychelles in July.
Commerical flights are expected to resume to the Seychelles in July.
Tunisia is opening land, air and sea borders to residents from Algeria and select European nations, including Germany and the U.K., from June 27.

Tanzania unconditionally welcomed tourists from all nations in May, one of the earliest countries to do so. The country has been criticized for a lack of transparency regarding infection rates, as well as statements by President John Magufuli that the coronavirus could be cured by drinking ginger and lemonade. He also said the virus had been removed from Tanzania “by the powers of God” despite evidence to the contrary.
South America
Much of South America — including Bolivia, Brazil, Chile and Peru — remains off-limits to international travelers for the time being.

Colombia banned all passenger flights until at least Aug. 31. Argentina has a similar flight ban through Sept.1, though there is talk of bringing this date forward to July.

Ryanair to add back Europe flights

Ryanair, which touts itself as Europe's largest low-fare airline, is adding back flights as countries in Europe begin to reopen to tourism amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Ryanair will operate 40% of its normal flight schedule in July and serve 90% of its pre-COVID-19 routes, the company announced Tuesday.

As travel restrictions are easing, the airline has decided to "celebrate" with a seat sale for July and August travel with one-way fares beginning at $32.93 (€29.99), which must be booked by Thursday.

The airline's announcement comes after Spain announced over the weekend that it would open its borders in July, following moves from other European countries. Earlier this month, the company shared it was operating on a "skeleton daily schedule" made up of 30 flights between Ireland, the United Kingdom and Europe.

"We look forward to welcoming millions of Ryanair passengers and their families back on board, and flying them on holiday as Europe’s economies begin to recover from these difficult recent lockdowns, which have been so successful in reversing the spread of the COVID-19 virus," Eddie Wilson, Ryanair CEO, said in a statement.

Ryanair will offer daily flights from destinations such as Ireland, the U.K. the, Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, and will fly to "key holiday airports" in Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus and Portugal starting July 1.

But flying on Ryanair will look a bit different, as will flying on other airlines as they attempt to quell the spread of coronavirus on flights.

"All Ryanair flights will operate with new health guidelines in place, which will require all passengers (and Ryanair crews) to wear face masks at all times in the airport terminals and on board our aircraft, in compliance with EU guidelines," Wilson said.

Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced Saturday that the country would be open to international tourism sometime in July, though he did not specify a date, Madrid-based newspaper El Pais and Reuters reported.

And Italy, which is one of the European countries hit hardest by the coronavirus and was one of the first to lock down, will relax its border restrictions June 3. At that time, Italians can travel between regions or to other European Union countries and the United Kingdom, and citizens of those countries can travel to Italy.

Greece’s long-awaited tourist season will begin June 15 with the opening of seasonal hotels and the arrival of the first foreign visitors, while international flights will begin heading directly for holiday destinations gradually as of July 1. At first, flights will be available only to Athens and visitors will be subject to sample-based virus testing.

And Cyprus will begin the first phase of loosening travel restrictions on June 9, including opening up air travel from some European countries, according to a statement from Yiannis Karousos, minister of transport.

Tourists are already welcome in Portugal, according to Reuters, though flights outside the EU are still suspended until June 15 with some exceptions to Portuguese-speaking nations, including Brazil. And their border with Spain will remain closed until then, too.

Rising Internationl Flight Fares to Europe from America

Most of the Europe is shut till June 15th. The American and other carriers which have plans to open up flights to Europe have increased their fares across all classes of travel. And, these are not nominal increases. Normally, you would expect an international flight ticket to Europe to range between USD 700 to 900 for return economy class travel. However, when the outbreak happened the prices of Delta tickets had slumped to about $300 economy return. But if the present air tickets prices are to go by, as per Delta Airlines ticket fares, these would be about $2200-2300 for economy return ticket. This is a sharp increase, about 3 times of the normal during pre-Covid times. When travelers are expecting airlines to cut down on fares to stimulate demand, this increase might come as a surprise for them. What is the rationale behind this?

Experts point out that this is not surprising. Airlines know very well that demand is not going to pick up anytime soon for the transatlantic flights. This is because Europe and America have both taken a huge brunt of the disease. Only those who have to travel due to an urgent need will be traveling. Secondly, the airlines will be operating with a maximum load factor of about 62% as the airlines will have to meet the requirements of social distancing and keep some seats empty. This is going to be a further drain unless prices of air tickets are raised. Under normal circumstances, the industry average for breaking even was at 77% of load factor. The aviation industry experts have stated that the airfares have to increase by about 50 percent on an average basis and variation could be large depending on the sectors of travel.

New Long-Haul Flights Between U.S. And Pakistan

Because of the coronavirus, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will – for the first time in 14 years – be able to use its long-range aircraft as intended.

PIA long wanted to fly non-stop to the U.S. from Pakistan, so in 2006 it acquired a pair of Boeing BA 777-200LRs that would finally make the 13 plus hour trip possible.

The -200LR was a long-range variant so new that PIA was the first airline to receive the type. Yet PIA never got to use the aircraft as intended.
AIR Boeing.

The U.S. did not permit non-stop flights, citing airport security in Pakistan. Instead, PIA had to continue flying via Manchester in the U.K. so the flight could be screened in a country with approved security.

The stopover negated the need for the more expensive ultra-long-haul -200LR.
PIA could have instead increased its fleet of other, less costly, 777 variants. Delta last month said it would retire its -200LRs, a few years younger than PIA’s, by the end of 2020.
Now due to the pandemic, the U.S. is approving PIA to fly non-stop from Pakistan. It is on a limited basis: PIA can only fly up to 12 round-trip charters, and only when using its two -200LRs.

The first non-stop charter left Islamabad on May 31 and arrived in Newark 13 hours and 39 minutes later, according to Flightradar24. PIA had been flying to Newark during the pandemic via London and Manchester. It served Washington, D.C., via Toronto.

The prior forced stopover in another country was so inefficient and costly that PIA ceased flying to the U.S. in 2017. PIA was able to make use of the -200LR’s range by having non-stop flights to Toronto, but that was not PIA’s primary intent for the aircraft.

Also caught out was Philippine Airlines (PAL), which acquired new Boeing 777s for U.S. flights.

Yet when PAL’s first 777-300ER arrived in 2009, the Philippines was downgraded to FAA Category 2. That status allowed PAL to keep flying to the U.S. but without any changes, such as using the new 777 it purposely acquired for the U.S. market.

PAL also had to use the aircraft elsewhere, such as Canada, until the Philippines regained Category 1 status in 2014. That allowed PAL to finally deploy the 777s to the U.S.

Some industry observers wonder if PAL and PIA assumed, or had informal assurances, that buying Boeing aircraft would see the U.S. help the countries improve safety and earn the right designations.

Airlines and Their International Flights Status

American Airlines

The company has announced the suspension of over 60% of international flights for this summer compared to the same period of time last year. It will also delay the launch of several new routes it had planned to fly from Philadelphia and Los Angeles. That being said, plans to kick off services are in place. Expect flights from Miami to Lima, Quito, Guayaquil, Santiago and Sao Paulo in a few weeks; from Dallas to Madrid some time in May; and from Chicago to Dublin, London and Athens in June.

Delta

Although it has cut about 85% of its both domestic and international flights compared to the same time frame last year, the airline has resumed trips from Atlanta to St. Croix, St. Thomas, San Juan, San Pedro Sula, San Salvdor, Mexico City, Amsterdam, Paris, Lima, San Jose, Guatemala City, Buenos Aires, Cancun, Liberia, Nassau, Providenciales, Quito, Santiago and Sao Paulo; from Detroit to Amsterdam, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Seoul and Tokyo; from Minneapolis to Calgary, Edmonton and Winnipeg; from New York to Toronto, Santo Domingo and Santiago; from Salt Lake City to Mexico City; and from Seattle to Vancouver, Seoul and Tokyo. The airline announced it's constantly monitoring the situation and hopes to add new routes in the near future, all throughout the summer.

Southwest

Starting June 7, Southwest will start flying from Baltimore to Cancun, Montego Bay and Nassau; from Denver and Houston to Cancun and Los Cabos; from Orlando to Montego Bay; and from Tampa to Havana.

United Airlines

Through the pandemic, the airline has continued to fly to European and South American destinations, albeit at a reduced capacity. The carrier has announced plans to open up some other routes in June, including flights from Newark to Paris, Shanghai and Tokyo; from San Francisco to Beijing, Chengdu and Shanghai; and trips to and from Frankfurt.

Air India Repatriation Flights to US- Vande Bharat Flights

The third phase of India’s repatriation drive, Vande Bharat Mission is set to commence on June 9 and will be carried out until June 30.
Under this, the national carrier Air India will operate 75 more flights to destinations in USA and Canada, said civil aviation minister Hardeep Singh Puri in a tweet.
India started the Vande Bharat Mission on May 7, Air India and its subsidiary Air India Express operated 64 flights to bring 14,800 Indians back whereas, which is ongoing, over 149 flights have been arranged to bring back 30,000 stranded nationals from 31 countries.
As per the recent update, more than 50,000 Indian citizens have been brought back to the country under Vande Bharat Mission.
Meanwhile, international commercial passenger flights remain suspended until June 30.
Elaborating on this, Puri said “Numerous citizens have been approaching us to restart international flights. Several factors need to be addressed. Many international destinations are not allowing incoming passenger traffic, except for their own citizens or diplomats.
“Ministry of Home Affairs’ guidelines for lockdown 5.0 have further opened up inter and intra-state travel and will facilitate calibrated reopening of the sector. As we move towards the critical mass of 50-60 per cent operation of domestic flights, our ability to resume international operations will also improve.”

US Flight Resumptions By Turkish Airlines

Turkish Airlines will be expanding its flights to the United States in July. The announcement from the airline comes just days after international flights were resumed to four destinations within the US. The carrier will expand its services to Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Washing DC to include Houston, New York, and San Fransisco.
Turkish Airlines will be expanding its US flights from July 1st.
After facing several delays, Turkish Airlines finally resumed flying to the US last week following the grounding of flights due to COVID-19. We reported on Friday that Turkish Airlines would be reinstating flights to some US cities, flying 12 times a week to four destinations. The carrier has since announced that this will be expanding in July to include three further routes. This will increase the number of services to 24 a week during July.
The carrier will keep its thrice-weekly services to Chicago, Washington DC, and Miami until the end of July 2020. The route to Los Angeles will continue to fly three times a week until the end of June. From July 1st, this will increase to four times a week.

From July 1st, flights to New York will commence, with five flights offered per week. Three flights per week to San Francisco will follow on July 15th. Lastly, on July 26th, three flights to Houston will be added to the schedule.
As Turkey has now lifted all entry requirements and restrictions for foreign nationals, its national flag carrier is ramping up its services as it attempts to reinstate its global network. From July, the carrier will add Toronto and Montreal to its routes in North America. The airline will also finally launch scheduled flights to Vancouver in August, after a two-month delay. This new route will be its 15th destination in North America.

Aside from North America, Turkish Airlines is increasing flights to other international destinations during June and July. The number of domestic routes is also set to increase. Current plans show that during July, the airline plans to operate 40 domestic routes and fly to 123 international destinations. If these flights operate as planned, Turkish Airlines will be flying 80% of its pre-corona domestic schedule and 40% of its international routes.

Last week Turkish Airlines was reported as the busiest operator in Europe. Eurocontrol, an organization that supports European aviation, said that Turkish Airlines had 400 flights in the Eurocontrol area on June 18th. This was the first time that an airline has had this many planes in the area since March 24th.

International Flights To Start on Basis of Reciprocity

U.S. officials said, as the situation is still fluid and there are still fears of a resurgence of the virus in countries now reporting lower caseloads.

But Washington is clear on one thing - people from other countries should not be allowed into the United States if Americans still are not allowed to travel to those nations, the senior U.S. official said.

However, with the virus still rampant in the United States, which has the highest number of cases in the world, some countries may be hesitant to accept U.S. travelers any time soon.

The European Union on Wednesday pushed to reopen internal borders and restart travel, but recommended Europe’s external borders remain closed for most travel at least until mid-June.[L8N2CV2U0]
FILE PHOTO: A woman walks through the empty international terminal at LAX airport in Los Angeles, California, U.S., amid reports of the coronavirus, March 11, 2020. REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

While there has been some talk in the administration of reopening borders to travelers from Europe first, officials are mindful that many of the initial infections in the United States originated in Italy.

“I think coordination between governments is going to be key,” Virginia Messina, managing director with the World Travel and Tourism Council, said. “You are going to need those bilateral agreements.”

When the United States restricted international flight ticket booking from Europe it was effectively a blanket ban. Unwinding that ban and replacing it with agreements with individual European countries could be a much longer process.

Lifting the restrictions will also require a series of choreographed steps by different U.S. government agencies.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the State Department will need to dial back travel advisories calling for Americans to avoid all international travel before the United States can allow in travelers from restricted countries, according to Lora Ries, a senior research fellow with the Heritage Foundation and former Trump administration homeland security official.

The blanket advisory is likely to be replaced by more country-specific warnings, depending on the state of the pandemic in the relevant countries or region.

Restoring the flow of travelers into the United States could help boost the economy in the aftermath of the coronavirus outbreak. The Washington-based U.S. Travel Association estimated that spending by international travelers supported 1.2 million U.S. jobs and $33.6 billion in wages in 2019, economic activity that has been wiped out by the pandemic.

But the priority is to restore confidence in U.S. domestic air travel before turning attention to international travel, said Tori Emerson Barnes, an executive vice president with the U.S. Travel Association, a pro-industry nonprofit organization.

“I think that it will be a slow opening, unfortunately,” she said.

Where to Look for Online Flight Deals on International Flight Bookings?

International flights are set to begin as soon as the time and the arrangements permit. There is already a talk of beginning the green channel of flights which means that the flights could begin between two cities provided they agree on the arrangements made to ensure passenger and crew safety. Quite naturally, in anticipation of this beginning, the travelers are already looking for deals. Whether the airlines or agencies will provide any deal or not remains to be seen but the travelers are already planning ahead to make the kill.

The online flight deals can be found quite visible to public at large or hidden away at some resource which only a few can access. So, where to look for the international flight deals?

The first obvious choice is to go to social media sites to look for these. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other top social media sites are some of these platforms where you can expect to find a deal.

The second type of online resources could be the bargain sites or deals sites, which provide multi-category deals. Since the airlines are looking to get back their passenger numbers, these would be using all those sites which have good traffic. Deals offering sites are certainly one among these.

If the airline wants to target certain specific community of people, such as linguistic or ethnicity, they can provide deals on those websites which are popular among these. One example in this respect could be targeting the Spanish speaking communities living in US for encouraging them to travel to Mexico. The deals could be provided on Spanish websites.

Search engines are the obvious choice for finding the online air ticket deals. All of the online resources that would be offering deals can be found here, provided these have allowed to be indexed by Google. You shall ideally look for the offer beyond the first page as there could be many sites which do not find place in top 10 ranks but might have good deals.