Over the past couple of years the topic of travel, particularly between the UK & USA, has continued to be one of the most discussed subjects, as well as being the cause of the most confusion, amongst our members. Not surprising considering that the list of rules are updated constantly and the entry requirements for America and Britain are rarely in alignment.
I have traveled several times throughout the pandemic and every single trip has been clouded with the added anxiety of what I need to do when it comes to testing, tracing, quarantines and vaccinations. Regular readers may recall my first experience where I was ‘stuck’ in England during the first lockdown. I was one of the lucky ones who managed to find a flight back to LA on an American Airlines flight that was only about 10% full. It was such a surreal journey as Heathrow was a ghost town and LAX was pretty much the same. My second trip was last October and whilst the airports were a lot busier, the flights were still only half full and none of the shops were open so it still felt a bit eerie. I don’t get easily flustered but the rigmarole of getting all of the correct paperwork in order and booking tests before and after flying as-well as the constant worry of risking catching Covid really got to me.
Which I didn’t fully realise until I recently embarked upon my third transatlantic journey. Compared to the other two so far it’s been a breeze. Restrictions have really loosened up, possibly a bit too much for my liking… LAX was almost completely back to its old bustling self, although I found it disconcerting that only about 40% of people were wearing masks.
This time I flew with Virgin Atlantic, as they were by far the cheapest option (at least $400 less than their main competitors). They have temporarily moved its full operation, including check in, into the Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT), from its usual home in Terminal 2. Which is handy as it meant I got to finally visit the beloved British sandwich shop ‘Pret A Manger’. Although sadly they were sold out of pretty much everything except cheese and tomato sandwiches; which I of course snapped up. Hopefully, their popularity means they will be opening more locations in LA.
Virgin currently operate twice daily services between Los Angeles and London Heathrow with plans to increase frequency to three times a day from April – in theory that should mean flights stay reasonably affordable in spite of the price of gas rising. I am hoping that United bring their direct flight back soon as that should make pricing even more competitive.
The UK no longer require anything other than a valid passport to enter the country. No proof of a negative test or vaccination is needed. EU and American passport holders still enter through the same customs lines as the Brits. Thankfully everything was running pretty smoothly when I arrived. I was through border control and with my bags and in my sisters car in under an hour.
Returning to the US requires a bit more work as all air passengers, regardless of vaccination or citizenship status, must show a negative COVID-19 test or taken no more than one day before travel to the United States. Or if you’ve recently had Covid you must prepare and present documentation of recovery. Info on that can be found on the CDC website: cdc.gov/coronavirus.
Everyone still has to fill out a passenger locator form. Proof of vaccination is also still required for noncitizens (over the age of 18) who are nonimmigrants – this must be presented before boarding a flight to the United States – however I believe this is not necessary for visitors entering by land, which is possible via either Mexico or Canada.
It seems it all changes on a weekly basis so make sure to check before you travel. Feel free to email us if you can’t find the info you need and if you are on Facebook make sure to join our travel and immigration group via this link: facebook.com/groups/BritsinLAImmigration.
Word of warning, if you are traveling to UK anytime soon I recommend you pack your thermals as it is currently snowing here!!
If you have any questions or comments drop us a line at info@britsin.la as we always love hearing from you (it’s nice to know someone is actually reading this!)
Till next time…
Cheers!
Eileen
