No business in the travel industry was left unscathed by the COVID-19 pandemic, but airlines suffered a particularly harsh fate, with travelers initially leaning into domestic destinations and road trips even as they slowly returned to travel. But in recent months, the tides seem to be turning. A largely successful vaccine rollout in the U.S. coupled with the reopening of international borders has led to steadily increasing air passenger numbers that often break previously held pandemic-era records.
Throughout the ups and downs, airlines have adapted to the ever-changing circumstances and moved forward with the launch of new routes, services and resources for both travel advisors and their clients.
Here’s a look at what’s new from some of the major U.S.-based airlines.
In January of this year, American Airlines launched a variety of tools to help passengers stay organized and meet all pandemic-related travel requirements. The carrier partnered with LetsGetChecked and CareNow to offer convenient COVID-19 testing for select destinations, including at-home testing and rapid tests at the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
To comply with testing requirements for entry into the U.S., American Airlines launched the VeriFLY app, a mobile health passport that helps clients understand and verify their travel requirements, plus easily provide proof of COVID-19 test results.
For travel advisors specifically, the airline launched a COVID-19-specific hotline (1-877-525-0680) offering 24/7 access to sales support representatives who can answer questions about American’s COVID-19 policies, government travel restrictions or government testing requirements.
For travelers impacted by COVID-19, American Airlines recently extended ticket validity through March 31, 2022. If the new flight is less expensive than the original, clients will also be able to retain the fare difference for use on a future American Airlines flight.
In addition to these resources, American Airlines added new service to and from Austin, increased flight service to Spain, and will operate more than 150 new routes this summer.
When it comes to international destinations, Delta has launched a number of new routes. On May 20, the airline began offering new flights to Reykjavik, Iceland, from Boston. Delta began operating its first-ever flight service to Croatia with flights from New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to Dubrovnik on July 2.
The airline will also offer service to Toronto from Boston, as well as New York’s LaGuardia Airport starting on Oct. 4 and Aug. 5, respectively. On May 28, Delta resumed its daily service from JFK to Athens, Greece, and launched a new route between Athens and its hub in Atlanta on July 2. Partnering with Korean Air, Delta will also add a new route from Portland, Ore., to Seoul’s Incheon International Airport on Sept. 9.
To help passengers with travel’s current challenges, Delta began offering at-home COVID-19 testing kits in late June. The airline is also working with Virgin Atlantic to launch a built-in digital health credential solution that allows passengers to track specific testing requirements on flights between the U.S. and U.K. The tool, known as Delta FlyReady, will initially help manage testing requirements, but Delta will integrate vaccination credentials into the system later this summer.
Delta also has a new Discovery Map that gives advisors both a global and country-specific view of COVID-19-related travel restrictions and requirements.
Southwest Airlines marked its 50th anniversary on June 18 and welcomed its fifth decade of service with a variety of new routes added throughout this year. Southwest has initiated service to Chicago (O'Hare International Airport); Sarasota/Bradenton and Destin/Fort Walton Beach, Fla.; Savannah/Hilton Head, Ga.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Colorado Springs, Colo.; Houston (George Bush Intercontinental Airport); Bozeman, Mont.; Jackson, Miss.; and Santa Barbara and Fresno, Calif. The airline will begin service to Eugene, Ore., on Aug. 29; Bellingham, Wash., on Nov. 7; and Syracuse, N.Y. on Nov. 14.
These additions follow several expansions from 2020, including new service to Hilo, Hawaii; Cozumel, Mexico; Miami; Palm Springs, Calif.; and Steamboat Springs and Montrose (Telluride/Crested Butte), Colo.
In addition to offering new routes, Southwest Airlines is also making it easier for its passengers to finance their flights. In April, the airline started a partnership with Uplift in order to offer a Buy Now, Pay Later (BNPL) payment option available at checkout. The BNPL option allows passengers to create a monthly installment plan for flights as low as $100, usually with no money down.
United Airlines is spending the summer expanding its service with new routes to both domestic and international destinations. The season kicked off in May with the addition of 26 new routes between Midwestern cities — like Cleveland, Cincinnati and Milwaukee — and popular vacation destinations such as Hilton Head, S.C.; Pensacola, Fla.; and Portland, Maine. The airline also added new service between Orange County, Calif., and Honolulu.
In June, United added nine new routes to its flight roster, including daily flights from Denver to West Yellowstone, Mont. — home to the closest airport to Yellowstone National Park. Both Chicago and New York saw the addition of direct flights to Hawaii, with service to Kona and Maui, respectively. United Airlines is the only air provider in the country to offer these two routes.
As summer travel in Alaska started to pick up again with the return of some cruising options, United also resumed service from Chicago to Fairbanks and from Chicago, Houston, New York/Newark and San Francisco to Anchorage. Flights between Fairbanks and Anchorage were also added to United’s offerings.
United is also making big strides on the international front. From July 8 through Oct. 3, the airline will offer three weekly flights from Newark Liberty International Airport to Dubrovnik — the only nonstop flight between the U.S. and Croatia. United expanded its service to Athens, Greece, with daily flights from Washington Dulles International Airport that began on July 1 and will operate through Oct. 3. United also became the first airline to offer flights from Chicago to Reykjavik, Iceland — a route that will also run July 1 through Oct. 3.
Lastly, in order to facilitate international travel for its passengers, United introduced the Travel-Ready Center, which provides information on the testing or vaccine requirements needed for travel destinations, as well as allows travelers to upload completed test results and vaccine records, and verifies these records — all within the United App.
