Geoffrey Pyatt, the US Ambassador to Greece, stated on Wednesday that US tourist interest in Greece has soared, with American Airlines responding by adding a new Summer service between Athens and JFK Airport in New York.

After a harsh tourist season in 2020, American Airlines is preparing to return to Greece in 2021 with up to three flights per day, linking Athens with the United States of America.

American Airlines will begin a new summer trip from Athens (ATH) to New York (JFK) on June 5 using its comfortable Boeing 777-200 aircraft. As part of the Northeast Alliance between JetBlue and American Airlines, this new service is a watershed moment.

According to American Airline executives, this alliance provides consumers with better connections and access to the Northeast's largest network.

“We're looking forward to returning to Greece this summer, with client safety as our first priority,” said Tom Lattig, American's Managing Director of EMEA Sales.

In talks to the press, he stated, "We know that there is a particularly high demand for travel between Greece and the United States."

“Our clients are looking forward to reuniting with friends and family on both sides of the Atlantic, or to taking a long-awaited holiday trip to historic Greece, or even visiting the lovely Greek islands,” he added.

Commencing on Saturday, June 5, American will restart summer flights from Athens to Chicago (ORD), using a wide Boeing 787-8 aircraft, while beginning on August 18, the carrier will start summer flights from Athens to Philadelphia (PHL), again using the Boeing 787-8 aircraft.

Ambassador Pyatt: The demand for travel to Greece in the United States has surged.

The positive messages that the Greek tourist authorities have sent out to the globe, including the effective handling of the pandemic and the importance given by the Greek government to the vaccination of residents of the islands and tourism employees in tourism, have soared American travel demand for Greece.

According to the US Ambassador, the implementation of appropriate health protocols appears to be a defining feature in the high interest in Greece as a summer tourism destination.

Pyatt said that Americans are looking forward to discovering a secret that everyone here knows: that our country's crystal clear waters and sparkling beaches, its mountain paths, its ancient monuments and museums, and its rare, brilliant light are something very special. Pyatt was speaking at an American Airlines event to celebrate the launch of daily direct flights from New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia to Athens.

The ambassador praised American Carriers' efforts to boost daily direct flights between Greece and the United States, citing a "record number of nine daily direct flights by US airlines to Greece."

He also voiced the hope that at least some of the seasonal flights from New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, and Dulles will become year-round services in the near future. Pyatt commented, "This is beneficial for both our economies and reinforces the links between the peoples that are so crucial to this bilateral relationship."

He also stated that "the Greek government's science-based response to the pandemic, as well as timely and consistent statements regarding Greece's tourist opening, send a powerful message of Greece's eagerness to welcome American visitors back."

He also said it was an honor for Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis' team that "the European Union is going forward with the COVID Digital Certificate, which will enable free movement and economic recovery efforts" after "strong promotion by the Greek government."

He said, "This is again another example of Greece setting high standards for the European response to COVID 19." The Greek Prime Minister was the first European leader to call for a vaccine passport, which visitors would be able to present at airports and other entry points to prove that they had been vaccinated, tested negative, or were immune to the virus.

Pyatt also praised Greece's Tourism Minister, Harry Theocharis, for traveling to the United States last month to meet with officials from American, Delta, and United Airlines. He said the visit was just another example of the Greek government's commitment to cooperating with the corporate sector in the United States to help both countries achieve much-needed economic recovery.

The 545 blue flag beaches and dozens of world-class historical and cultural landmarks in Thessaloniki were highlighted by the American envoy, who also highlighted "beautiful Kastelorizo, Greece's easternmost island and the first Greek island to be fully vaccinated."