United’s Kirby ‘confident’ borders will soon open

United Airlines’ CE Scott Kirby anticipates broader transatlantic travel routes will soon re-open, as governments confer about the safest way to re-initiate cross-border travel after more than 15 months of travel restrictions. During a 29 June event highlighting a new aircraft order, Kirby says United is in discussion with the administration of President Joe Biden to allow non-US citizens and non-residents to re-enter the USA. The USA closed its borders to tourists from Europe’s Schengen Area in March 2020, soon after the WHO declared the coronavirus a global pandemic. “We continue to work with the administration on the data, the science. We’re encouraged to see progress on opening up the transatlantic [corridors], the data and science certainly support opening,” Kirby says. “We’re encouraged that the administration created a working group to work with the EU, the UK, Canada and Mexico to attempt to open those borders... I don’t know if it’ll be next week or two weeks or a month, but we’re confident that they’re going to be open."<br/>