Heathrow records busiest month since before the pandemic as 1.5M travelers pass through airport
July was Heathrow Airport's busiest month since the coronavirus pandemic brought the travel industry to a halt.
More than 1.5 million passengers passed through Heathrow (LHR) last month, the most since March of 2020. It's also a 74% increase from July of last year when virtually all nonessential travel remained grounded.
The distribution of COVID-19 vaccines and the government relaxing travel restrictions in the UK has sent more people hurrying to book flights and come through Heathrow, a welcome sight for airport officials. "Finally, some blue skies are on the horizon, as travel and trade routes slowly reopen. The job, though, is far from complete," according to Heathrow's chief operating officer Emma Gilthorpe.
A bustling Heathrow is an encouraging sign that the travel recovery is taking shape, but the airport still has a ways to go. Consider this: Heathrow's July numbers are still down 81 percent from the passenger traffic it experienced in July 2019. Recent analysis showed Heathrow, once Europe's busiest airport, is now just the 17th busiest hub.
Still, there are reasons for optimism, such as JetBlue's JFK to Heathrow service whose first flight landed in London last week.
Related: What it was like on JetBlue's first London flight
The airport is also back to using all four terminals again as Virgin Atlantic and Delta are back in their Terminal 3 space. The airport had condensed operations into two terminals once the pandemic took hold and grounded most flights.
Also, fully vaccinated American visitors can now fly to the UK without having to quarantine. That is expected to lead to an increase in travelers passing through Heathrow. And there is hope that the U.S. will soon move the UK to its safe travel list so fully vaccinated passengers can resume leisure travel as they did before.
Related: Flying JetBlue Mint to London
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Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month