Then-president of the USA Donald Trump announced restrictions on non-residents travelling to the US back in March 2020, as the global pandemic began to spread. As a result, Europeans have not been permitted to enter the US for a year and a half, until the ban was lifted on Monday 8 November.
Travel agents in Luxembourg have now reported a boom in bookings to the US, calling it “USA fever”. A Dudelange agency has even decorated its shopfront with American emblems and flags to celebrate the news.
It seems the majority of Luxembourgers missed the destination of New York the most, with a high number of bookings made for the festive period. Tours of the US are also in demand, according to travel agents, with many booking trips for Easter and the summer holidays.
However, it was difficult to estimate whether a trip to the US would be more expensive now than in pre-pandemic times, according to Travel Group Lëtzebuerg. A representative told RTL it was immensely difficult to calculate at present.
Despite the early rush, travellers must still be observant of Covid restrictions, which apply to flights to the US as well. Adult travellers must be vaccinated in order to board the plane, although there are exceptions for people who can demonstrate a medical exemption to vaccination. Minors do not need to observe this restriction.
Passengers must all be able to present a negative Covid test result when boarding, from a maximum of 72 hours prior to the flight for vaccinated travellers. Unvaccinated people must have a result no older than 24 hours, including for children. People who contracted and recovered from the virus 90 days prior to travelling may use a negative test result in conjunction with a certificate confirming their recovery.
A mild panic arose earlier this week as it was revealed on Tuesday that the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention had classified Luxembourg as a high-risk country along with the Netherlands, placing it in Level 4. Many would-be travellers feared their newly-booked trips might be affected, but Chris Poos from Travel Group Lëtzebuerg explained this classification could simply result in further restrictions for US residents returning from Luxembourg. There is currently no travel ban in place for Luxembourgers wishing to travel to the US.
Video report in Luxembourgish.
