A joint venture between Delta Air Lines and Alitalia will soon see the operation for flights between the United States and Italy that won't require travelers to quarantine upon arrival at their destination. Delta has said that it consulted with the Mayo Clinic, a prominent American health center, to make their flights as safe as possible. According to Henry Tin, an executive from the Mayo Clinic, "We can predict that the risk of COVID-19 infection – on a flight that is 60 percent full – should be nearly one in a million."
The flights will start on December 19, 2020 and will operate between New York's JFK International Airport, Newark Liberty International Airport, and Atlanta International Airport (Delta's hub) and Rome Fiumicino International Airport. Passengers will be obligated to undergo a strict testing regimen. The tests include the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test within 72 hours before flight departure as well as a rapid-results test that will be administered at the airport.
The confirmation of negative COVID-19 tests will allow travelers to travel between the US and Italy for essential reasons, including health, education, or business reasons. These travelers will be exempt from the 14-day quarantine period normally imposed on all international travelers who are traveling to or from countries that haven't been deemed as 'green countries'.
This new 'air corridor' is part of a pilot test to see if it will be possible to reopen further quarantine-free air travel without increasing the risk of transmitting the virus. Previous tests on cruise lines proved thus far ineffective. Earlier this month, five passengers tested positive for COVID-19 on the SeaDream Yacht Club's SeaDream 1, despite testing negative twice before departure.
Despite the desire to reopen cross-border travel more freely in the near-term, some professionals remain skeptical about the ability to do so without compromising on health precautions and airline profitability. Nevertheless, should this new air corridor prove effective, it may help both the travel industry and the global economy bounce back a little bit faster.