Travel Groups Urge U.S. to Eliminate Some Pre-Departure Testing

Nearly 30 travel industry groups signed a letter sent Wednesday to White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeffrey Zients calling on President Biden's administration to remove the requirement for pre-departure testing for travelers to the United States who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19. 

Participating organizations include the International Air Transport Association, Airlines for America, the Global Business Travel Association, the United Kingdom's Business Travel Association and the American Hotel & Lodging Association.

The letter noted that the European Union has recommended its countries remove intra-Europe Covid-19 travel restrictions, and that the United Kingdom has announced the removal, effective later this month, of Covid pre-departure testing for vaccinated travelers to enter the country.

"We are in favor of following the U.K. lead on removing the need to test for vaccinated travelers to come into the United States, and we've issued a letter to that effect," USTA president and CEO Roger Dow said during a state of the industry media briefing on Wednesday. "We hope the U.S. will quickly follow that lead. Taking that away will definitely increase travel."

The appeal also mentioned increased immunity and higher vaccination rates, new Covid treatments and the pervasiveness of Covid cases in all 50 states, noting that "attempts to control its importation via air travel under today's circumstances are unlikely to change that fact. No new threatening variants appear to be imminent, but if they were, pre-departure testing could be easily reinstituted."

"The experience of omicron has made it clear that travel restrictions have little to no impact in terms of preventing its spread," IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement related to the letter. "Removing the pre-departure testing requirement for fully vaccinated travelers will greatly support the recovery of travel and aviation in the U.S. and globally without increasing the spread of Covid-19 and its variants in the U.S. population. There is no use in closing the barn door after the horse has bolted."