Lifting the Travel Ban: Touching scenes at New York Airport

In the US, many people have not seen their loved ones for more than a year – now the travel ban has been lifted. The first German plane was eagerly awaited at New York Airport.

“She has landed, yeah! Granny is coming!” The machine from Frankfurt has landed. Anticipation at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York. Svenja Ostwald and her little daughters Matilda and Olivia are waiting under the display board with three large letter balloons: OMI. Grandma Christiane Eckelmann-Rathke from Eltville is sitting in one of the first machines from Germany in which tourists can re-enter without a special permit.

And then she comes: “That’s her! There is Granny!” Hug, tears of joy. “Oh, you sweeties! I can’t believe it!” Sobs Eckelmann-Rathke. She waited two years to hug her granddaughters – five and three years old – in her arms. “It’s just overwhelming. I just have to fight with the tears. I’ve been waiting and hoping for this moment and I’m overwhelmed with happiness and joy that I can now hug everyone and make out,” she says.

Finally back in my favorite city

For more than a year and a half, the so-called Travel Ban separated families, lovers, friends or simply New York fans from their city – like Julia from Kaarst, who arrives with her partner Benjamin: “We are very happy that we are here now.” They would have waited feverishly to finally travel to the USA again. “We always like to go on vacation and New York is our favorite city. We don’t have any other vacation destination anyway.”

Business people like Volker Kreuzfeld from near Hamburg are also happy that they can now travel again. Kreuzfeld does this for a logistics company. “The technology has also evolved, and you could work with video meetings and that kind of thing. But personal contact with customers is always more important.”

The extensive entry ban put a strain on many business relationships between the USA and Germany. The EU member states had gradually lifted their restrictions on travelers from the USA since the summer. The Americans took their time.

“The mood on board was consistently good”

It was a very special atmosphere on board, describes the first officer of the Lufthansa plane, Aldo Espinoza: “You could tell that the passengers were happy about the regained freedom of travel.” The plane was fully booked, the co-pilot is pleased: “So the atmosphere was consistently good – also with the crew. We are happy that all passengers are back on board.”

According to information from Lufthansa, the load factor for the coming weeks is as high as it was before the pandemic in 2019. Due to the strong demand, the traditional New York flight will be equipped with a jumbo again this week.

Everything full of imponderables

Elisa Fuchs and Leo Plum from Cologne have landed at Newark Airport in New Jersey. Plum can hardly believe it: “Until shortly before we flew, I thought: Yes, if something comes up now, if you are positive after all. Everything was full of uncertainties. And now that I’ve made it, I’m happy. “

When the two guys from Cologne arrive at their friend’s in Brooklyn, they are on a long-awaited journey. And take a deep breath: “It smells of America. So with the – I don’t know – detergent and from outside, it just smelled of America,” says Fuchs.