Delta customers with essential travel needs can now fly from Atlanta to Amsterdam without having to quarantine after arrival, and with the knowledge that their fellow passengers and crew are COVID-19 negative after undergoing pre-flight testing protocols.
Tuesday’s COVID-tested flight, with no quarantine after arrival, is the first of two the global carrier is launching this week, with an Atlanta to Rome option starting Saturday, Dec. 19.
“Air travel is the backbone of the global economy. In normal times, it supports more than 87 million jobs and contributes to $3.5 trillion in GDP worldwide,” said Perry Cantarutti, Delta’s Senior Vice President -Alliances and International. “The arrival of a vaccine is fantastic news, but it will take time for it to become widely available around the world. It’s for this reason we have worked tirelessly with the authorities and our partners to create a blueprint for travel corridors that will enable air travel to safely resume.”
Delta is the first U.S. airline to offer COVID-free, quarantine-free flights between the U.S. and Europe, which allow customers to avoid quarantine after testing negative for the virus prior to travel and upon arrival in the Netherlands and Italy.
COVID-tested flights to Amsterdam are operated in conjunction with Delta’s trans-Atlantic partner KLM and will depart four days a week, with both carriers operating two frequencies each. Delta, meanwhile, will operate service to Rome three times a week. These flights are clearly identified in the Delta.com booking process so customers can see which flights require the new testing process.
Both trial programs will be available to all citizens permitted to travel to the Netherlands or Italy for essential reasons, such as for certain specified work, health and education reasons. Customers who are transiting via Amsterdam to other countries will still be required to follow entry requirements and any mandatory quarantine in place at their final destination.
Click here to see photos of the ATL-AMS launch.
About Atlanta-Amsterdam testing process
Those traveling to Amsterdam must test negative from a PCR test taken five days before arrival in Amsterdam as well as a negative rapid test at Atlanta airport prior to boarding. A second PCR test will then be carried out on landing at Schiphol Airport and once a negative result is received, customers will not need to quarantine. Both airport tests are included in the price of the ticket.
About Atlanta-Rome testing process
Customers traveling to Rome must obtain a negative PCR test 72 hours before scheduled departure as well as a negative rapid test at Atlanta airport prior to boarding. A second rapid test will then be completed on arrival at Rome-Fiumicino and if negative, no quarantine is required.
Delta continues to put safety and health at the core of everything it does. Through the Delta CareStandard it has put in place more than 100 safety and cleanliness initiatives across its operation based on key insights from experts at Mayo Clinic, Purell, Emory University and Lysol. These include blocking middle seats through March 30, 2021, ensuring rigorous mask compliance, electrostatically cleaning cabins before every flight and more.
Meanwhile, Delta will become the first U.S. airline to partner with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to keep international customers informed of potential COVID-19 exposure through contact tracing.
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