Delta Air Lines issued this statement:

To facilitate the safe restart of international travel and restore the value contributed by travel and tourism to the world’s economy, the three global airline alliances oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance are calling on G7 governments, at their upcoming leadership summit on June 11-13, to agree on a common set of travel and health standards to enable the safe reopening of borders.

COVID-19 has significantly impacted the travel and tourism sector, which has long been a key contributor to many economies. A recent estimate by the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) showed that international tourism declined by around 80% in 2020. Prior to the pandemic, tourism contributed more than 4% of GDP for the average OECD country, with the World Travel and Tourism Council estimating up to 174 million jobs at risk globally.

In unison, the CEOs of the three global alliances – Kristin Colvile at SkyTeam, Rob Gurney for oneworld, and Jeffrey Goh of Star Alliance – said: “International air travel and tourism are vital to the global economy. With considerable data now available to support government decisions in managing risks, decisive action from G7 members to open borders and support clear, consistent, and data-driven measures, would remove uncertainty, particularly around testing and quarantine.”

While vaccination programs offer hope in some markets, varying – and often fast-changing – rules and procedures across countries and at different airport hubs, continue to create confusion and stress for customers and disrupt travel. To provide much-needed clarity, the alliances – which collectively represent almost two-thirds of global air capacity prior to COVID-19 – urge G7 governments to lead the world in aligning to the following travel measures to reconnect travelers with the world, safely and securely:

• Fully vaccinated passengers should be exempt from quarantine.
• COVID-19 testing should be easily accessible, affordable and consistent.
• Connecting passengers at airports should not be subject to additional testing or quarantine restrictions at the point of transfer if remaining in the transit zone.

Further, the three global airline alliances support IATA’s call for governments to adopt digital processes to manage travel health credentials including vaccine and test certificates, and for G7 member states to agree to common requirements and standards for health credentials as set out by the World Health Organization and International Civil Aviation Organization.

“Vaccination will have a key role in the restart of international air travel and tourism. We strongly advocate for governments to accept accredited vaccination as a safe and appropriate reason to avoid quarantines. In the meantime, while we wait for the global population to be substantially vaccinated, it is important to have robust and consistent testing protocols, along with interoperable digital solutions developed to facilitate the customer journey,” said the three alliance CEOs.

About the global airline alliances

oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance comprise 59 member airlines, plus connecting affiliates, transporting almost 2 billion customers each year. The three alliances have worked tirelessly with their members to restore customer confidence by developing awareness of member airlines’ rigorous health and safety protocols and providing digital tools to facilitate compliance with current travel regulations. These include online databases of testing locations, where customers can secure the correct COVID-19 test in advance of travel with a trusted provider.

From Delta Air Lines:

Main image photo courtesy Bob King, Sky & Telescope

A few dozen lucky eclipse-lovers gathered at the Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport (MSP) early Thursday morning to climb aboard one of Delta’s A319-100 aircraft (N351NB), sponsored by Sky & Telescope, to view the annular eclipse just after sunrise over southern Canada.

The 3:15 a.m. flight departed on schedule and headed northeast along a carefully predetermined route calculated by astronomer Glenn Schneider, who has chased solar eclipses around the world since the early 1970s and been in the path of totality 33 times.

Just after sunrise, Delta Line Check Pilot Art Smith slightly tilted the starboard wing down so that passengers on the right side of the aircraft could witness the breathtaking annular eclipse in its entirety. No passengers were located on the left side, ensuring that all aboard had the opportunity to see the annular eclipse’s trademark “ring of fire.”

An annular eclipse occurs when the Moon is near its farthest point from Earth, causing it to appear much smaller than the Sun as it moves between the Sun and Earth. An outer ring of the Sun remains visible outside the Moon’s shadow, a sight commonly referred to as the “ring of fire.”

The viewing lasted just over four minutes before the plane began its return to MSP.

“In order to keep the winglet below the horizon and maintain the desired track, it was determined we needed to fly the aircraft with the autopilot off – thus making it a little more challenging,” Smith explained. “We ran the profile in the simulator to ensure we had enough rudder authority at 39,000 feet. Once in flight, it worked just as we found in the simulator.”

“It was truly awesome, almost spiritual, to view the eclipse at its full annularity,” Smith continued. “It really was a ‘ring of fire’ and one of the most incredible sights I’ve been fortunate to see.”

Delta teams went above and beyond to coordinate the special flight, with many MSP-based employees from ACS, TechOps, In-Flight and more working to ensure the flight was carried out smoothly.

To learn more about this flight, visit skyandtelescope.org, and watch ABC’s Good Morning America and World News Tonight​ videos. 

Sky & Telescope provided passengers on board the aircraft with safe, approved eclipse-viewing glasses. Passengers were required to present proof of COVID-19 vaccination before May 27 or to provide a negative PCR test result taken within 72 hours of departure from their home.