Airlines Expect Return of Nonstop Flights to Europe, Canada from RDU this Year

Jun. 14—RALEIGH — With coronavirus travel restrictions expected to ease in coming months, airlines are planning to resume nonstop international flights from the Triangle.

Starting Monday, American Airlines will begin booking flights on its nonstop between Raleigh-Durham International Airport and London's Heathrow Airport starting Nov. 1. Delta is selling seats on its nonstop flight between RDU and Paris starting Sept. 9.

And Air Canada says it plans to resume three daily nonstops from RDU to Toronto and one to Montreal on Sept. 7.

All of the flights are subject to change, and it's possible someone who buys a ticket on a nonstop flight may get rerouted through a larger hub airport. American had planned to resume the London flight Aug. 17, and travelers who bought seats on it will be rebooked, said spokesman Brian Metham.

But as coronavirus cases decline with increased vaccination, the chances are better than they've been during the pandemic that these schedules will hold.

The U.S. State Department relaxed its travel warnings for dozens of countries last week, including Canada and France, from "do not travel" to "reconsider travel." The United Kingdom has been on the "reconsider travel" list since May 10.

European countries are reopening to fully vaccinated U.S. tourists this summer, though with restrictions that can vary from country to country. The U.S., meanwhile, has established two groups of public health experts to focus on travel policies with counterparts in Europe and the United Kingdom, according to National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.

"The point of these working groups is to share data and set out both milestones and criteria to enable a reopening of travel between our two countries as swiftly as possible, consistent with public health guidance," Sullivan told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to England last Wednesday.

For now, movement between the U.S. and Canada remains restricted to "essential travel." But there's growing pressure to ease those restrictions, and Politico reported last week that the Canadian government intends to starting doing that June 22.

Vaccination remains key to resuming international travel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends against overseas travel for anyone who hasn't been vaccinated for COVID-19. The U.S. and other countries require airline passengers, regardless of whether they've been vaccinated, to have a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of boarding their overseas flight.

Leisure travelers return to flying

The coronavirus pandemic halted all international travel in and out of RDU for eight months last year, between March 31, when the last Air Canada jet arrived from Toronto, and Nov. 19, when JetBlue began flying to Cancun, Mexico. That and JetBlue's service to Montego Bay, Jamaica, are the only international flights from RDU.

Warm weather vacation spots are leading the rebound in air travel from the Triangle. Of the 45 destinations served nonstop from RDU, 10 are in Florida.

Last week, American announced it would begin flying twice daily to Tampa, joining Delta, Frontier, JetBlue and Southwest on that route. And Spirit Airlines said it will begin flying daily to Miami International Airport Nov. 17, competing with American, Delta and Frontier.

Passenger traffic has grown steadily this year at RDU but remains below pre-pandemic levels. Before COVID-19, airlines served 57 nonstop destinations from RDU, including the four European and Canadian cities airlines expect to add back to their schedules later this year.

On Monday, the airport and a coalition of Triangle companies will unveil a broadcast and print advertising campaign to encourage people to fly again and help the region's economic recovery. The campaign's theme is "Carry On."

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