FAMILIES wept at the arrivals gate of JFK airport as they reunited with loved ones after a near two year travel ban to the US was lifted today.
The first flights for holidaymakers landed in New York this morning, carrying a full of excited passengers eagerly waiting to reunite with family members.
As travellers rushed through the arrivals gate, parents embraced children and grandparents clung to new family members.
"I cannot stop crying. None of us can. I find it so hard to believe we’re finally here,” said Jill Chambers, 57, as she rushed to greet her family.
Waiting excitedly at JFK was five-year-old Bowie, who had no idea why he was there, only that a surprise was on its way — his auntie Jill, who he had not seen in over a year.
Clutching her teary-eyed nephew, Jill says: "This is the most emotional thing we’ve ever been through.
"Poor Bowie just didn’t understand what was going on during the travel ban — he kept begging me to swim across the sea to the US, just so I could spend time with him."
Another of the UK's first arrivals to New York, Bhavna Patel, 59, was holding her grandson for the first time since he was born just over a year ago.
“From the moment I got on the plane I was counting down the hours until I could meet him properly,” she cried.
Bhavna’s suitcase is not filled with clothes and toiletries for her trip, but presents, gifts and most importantly - she said - Cadbury’s chocolate for her grandson.
"My son keeps asking what I want to do while I’m here and all I want is to spend time with my family."
From this morning, fully-jabbed travellers can enter America provided they have completed a full course of the coronavirus vaccine at least two weeks earlier.
Brits flying to the US must also provide proof of a negative pre-departure test and are required to submit a valid visa or ESTA upon entry.
“We were so anxious waiting for our test results, we wouldn’t let ourselves get excited until we were on the plane,” said Jill.
“We’re going out for a huge family dinner later, to celebrate and catch up.”
The emotional greetings came after transatlantic giants British Airways and Virgin Atlantic celebrated the re-opening of borders with an historic dual runway takeoff from the UK’s biggest airport.
There were cheers and applause as the captain announced Virgin’s landing in New York at 3:51pm US time - a full eight minutes ahead of the British Airways flight.
Despite saying this was never a race with Virgin’s longtime rival, crew were clearly delighted they had beaten British Airways across the pond.
Now that the blanket travel ban has been scrapped, New York is expecting three quarters of a million British tourists to pile into its airports - and airlines are eager to get them there.
British Airways’ BA1 flight, the number that was initially used for the airline’s famed Concorde flights to New York from London, was resurrected.
With families desperate to reunite with loved ones across the pond, the BA1 flight had been reserved solely for friends and families that had been separated during the pandemic.
Sean Doyle, British Airways’ chief, talks of the emotional toll: “It’s all about reuniting friends and families that haven’t been together for hundreds of days.
“For the first time ever, British Airways and Virgin Atlantic aircrafts will be seen taking-off together to mark the vital importance of the transatlantic corridor.”
Virgin Atlantic boss Shai Weiss said: “Today is a time for celebration, not rivalry.
"Together with British Airways we are delighted to mark today’s important milestone, which finally allows consumers and businesses to book travel with confidence.
"The US has been our heartland for more than 37 years and we are simply not Virgin without the Atlantic.”
America's borders were shut off to most non-citizens by the country's then president, Donald Trump, at the start of the pandemic.
But this was extended by Joe Biden when he took power in January this year, leaving some families unable to meet for almost two years.
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