United said Monday searches for international travel have increased after the United States ended a 17-month-old requirement that air travelers arriving in the country test negative for COVID-19. Airlines had been lobbying the White House to end the measure, arguing the requirement was holding back a full-scale industry recovery after the pandemic-induced slump. The United States on Friday rescinded the rule imposed in January 2021. Analysts expect the change to be a "catalyst" for international travel. United Airlines, which has the biggest exposure to the international traffic among major US carriers, said it has seen more than 2.4m searches for international travel in the past 72 hours, a 7% increase from the week prior. About 1.5m of those searched were for travel from the United States to international destinations including Europe, Mexico and the Caribbean, it said. US airlines are enjoying one of their strongest quarters in recent history on the back of a booming travel demand. All the major carriers have upgraded their revenue outlook for the current quarter despite trimming capacity. Counting on the pent-up demand, United has ramped up its transatlantic service and is launching or resuming 30 flights this summer.<br/>
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Airlines are racing to bring parked planes back into service now that post-pandemic travel demand is picking up. But some of those jets are looking a little rough around the edges. Eagle-eyed observers say some aircraft due for a routine grooming at United Airlines didn’t get fresh coats before being brought back into its active fleet. After nearly two years in the desert, planes with giant flakes of paint peeling from their fuselages can face long wait times at paint shops. Aviation enthusiast Jerry Lai has noticed several worse-for-wear jets while traveling this year. But especially memorable was a Boeing 757-300, with paint stripped down to the primer, that Lai encountered twice within an eight-day span in February. The narrow-body jet stood out in a sea of largely pristine aircraft at United’s main hub at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. “It caught my eye,” Lai said. While he knew such issues are purely cosmetic—and that this particular paint job was atypical—his first reaction was: “This plane is in really cruddy shape.” To meet the summer crush of travelers, Chicago-based United has been pulling jetliners out of storage yards, like its fleet of Pratt & Whitney-powered 777 planes. The hulking twin-aisle jets are being pressed into service after a 15-month grounding to inspect and repair blades on their engines. United had no immediate reply when asked for comment. Frayed paint presents no safety issues, and fading hues on some aircraft are barely discernible. Still, eyesore jetliners can dent brand appeal and corporate pride—especially at a time when US carriers are commanding sky-high fares from the combination of torrid leisure demand and constrained seat capacity. The waits for a fresh coat can stretch six to eight weeks depending on the site and type of paint aircraft operators require, and that’s provided airlines can find openings, said Gary Weissel, a consultant who specializes in aircraft overhauls. Some operators are sending their jets to Europe, where lead times run about a month.<br/>
Lufthansa is getting into the spirit of LGBTQ+ Pride Month in Europe with a rainbow makeover of one of its aeroplanes. It has re-branded an Airbus A320neo 'Lovehansa'. The livery outside has been given the rainbow colour treatment, as has the welcome panel at the entrance and the plane’s winglets. Inside, the headrests get a splash of colour. The plane will keep the livery for the next six months and is already flying to destinations around Europe. The company said it “stands for openness, diversity and understanding”. “With the ‘Lovehansa’ special livery, the company is sending another clear signal and making this important part of its corporate culture prominently and visible to the outside world.” June is Pride Month in the US and Europe, with a host of parades and events in the northern hemisphere. It’s also a time that many organisations and businesses show their support for LGBTQ+ people. Lufthansa's plane rebrand isn’t the first time an airline has embraced the rainbow community. For many years Air New Zealand hosted a ‘Pink Flight’ to Sydney’s Mardi Gras festival, and brought it back in 2020. Earlier this year Virgin Australia operated ‘Pride Flights’ from Brisbane and Melbourne to Sydney.<br/>