Airport Alert: White House to Lift International Travel Restrictions

September 20, 2021 

This morning, White House COVID-19 Coordinator, Jeffrey Zients, announced that the United States will reopen its borders to international travelers, as long as they are fully vaccinated, in early November. International travelers will have to show proof of their vaccination status to board an airplane to the United States and received a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours prior to departure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will determine the definition of fully vaccinated and which vaccines are acceptable.

Additionally, CDC will issue a contact tracing order shortly that will require airlines to collect information (phone number and email) from U.S.-bound travelers and aircrew so that they can be notified of potential COVID exposures.

Lastly, any unvaccinated Americans returning to the U.S. will be subject to stricter testing requirements.  Unvaccinated Americans must show a negative test result taken within one day before departure and proof of having purchased a COVID-19 test kit for use post-arrival. 

Originally press were reporting that this lifting of travel restrictions applied only to international travelers from the United Kingdom and the European Union, but this was later clarified. AAAE believes that travel restrictions, also known as 212f, will be lifted for all fully vaccinated international travelers.