Travel industry figures have dismissed the newest moves by the US and UK to reopen travel.
A new taskforce are going to be found out to form recommendations on easing restrictions as a part of an “Atlantic Charter”, set to be agreed on Thursday.
A Number 10 statement said the prime minister and president would “work to relaunch UK-US travel as soon as possible”.
But the boss of Virgin Atlantic said the announcement “falls short”.
Chief executive Shai Weiss said: “The creation of the Atlantic Taskforce is positive recognition of the importance of the UK-US travel corridor and a primary step towards reopening the skies.”
But he said the shortage of a selected time-frame for reopening travel meant airlines, businesses and passengers faced a scarcity of certainty.
Ahead of the beginning of the G7 summit in Cornwall, Mr Weiss urged Mr Biden and Mr Johnson to permit trans-Atlantic travel no later than 4 July.
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What are the present rules on US-UK travel?
Nearly all passengers from the united kingdom are currently banned from travelling to the US.
Under a presidential decree introduced last March, non-US citizens who are within the UK within the last 14 days cannot enter the country unless a selected exemption applies.
Meanwhile, travellers from the US to the united kingdom must self-isolate for 10 days on arrival because the country is on the “amber list”.
Read more on restrictions when travelling to Amber list countries here.
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Clive Wratten, chief executive of the Business Travel Association, also involved a firm commitment on a date.
“We welcome the formation of the Atlantic Charter 2021 as a step within the right direction for transatlantic travel.
“However, this is often the newest during a long line of travel taskforces which thus far have only wreaked further devastation on our industry. Jobs won’t be saved, nor livelihoods protected, until we are given a certainty on dates for the resumption of international travel.”
A spokeswoman for the Association of British Travel Agents said that “steps to urge travel restarted are very welcome”. But she also acknowledged the shortage of detail within the announcement.
She added: “Consideration should even be given to capitalising on the success of the united kingdom vaccine rollout by relaxing rules for fully vaccinated individuals when travelling between low-risk areas, as the US, and lots of other countries, are already doing.”
Job creation
The taskforce are going to be overseen within the UK by Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and can be chaired by senior officials within the US and UK.
It will “work to explore options for resuming US-UK travel and make sure that the united kingdom and US closely share thinking and expertise on international travel policy going forward”, Downing Street said during a statement.
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It added: “Links between the united kingdom and US aren’t only crucial for our people, they create and sustain jobs across and throughout our two countries.”
In a letter calling for trans-Atlantic visit reopen on Monday, airline bosses and Heathrow Airport estimated that UK businesses are losing £23m every day that the route remains closed.
Boris Johnson and Joe Biden also will comply with work together on issues like the post-pandemic recovery, global climate change and security as a part of Atlantic Charter, which is predicted to be agreed once they meet on Thursday in Cornwall.
The original Atlantic Charter was a joint statement made by Churchill and Franklin D Roosevelt in 1941, beginning joint goals within the wake of the Second war .
