Should the US Create Travel Bubbles With Other Countries?

Whether you call it a bridge, a corridor or a bubble, it is refreshing to see forward progress being made with respect to getting travelers flying again.

It was a big week for airlines and air bridges with near-simultaneous announcements on progress that could reopen borders. CommonPass was implemented successfully on a United flight from London Heathrow to Newark Liberty International Airport, and American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) announced it is working with officials to establish an air bridge between the same two destinations.

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Behind both of these announcements is successful COVID-19 testing protocols. Testing is going to be key to bringing travel safely back and avoiding mandatory quarantines.

“The issue behind travel is the paralysis caused by the quarantines and border closures,” Drew Crawley, chief commercial officer of GBT told TravelPulse earlier this week. “Travelers need to be confident to get back in the air, and that is something that we need to fix to give travelers confidence to travel safely.”

Like testing, confidence is also key to a return to travel. While the media makes it seem as though many Americans are flouting mask rules and attending super-spreader events, the data paints a different picture. When COVID-19 case numbers begin to spike in a destination or a location, many people begin to stay away.

Case in point is Disney World, which reopened to much fanfare but saw flagging interest and trimmed hours to meet deflated demand.

The one way to bring back interest and demand is to be able to see the problem clearly so you can directly combat the problem. Establishing concrete testing protocols through travel bubbles, air bridges and corridors provides assurances of safety and will likely lead to more interest in travel.

If people have the confidence to get on a plane to go somewhere because they know that no one on their flight has COVID-19, they will be much more likely to fly places, and the risk of bringing the virus with them is also greatly reduced, making travel bubbles a win-win for everyone.