Ed Bastian, Delta Air Lines chief executive officer, said Tuesday that travelers should be prepared for lengthy waits at airport check-in counters when the United States eliminates international travel restrictions for those who have received all required vaccinations on November 8.

"At first, things are likely to be a little sloppy. It's a certainty that there will be queues, sadly... but we'll get it straightened out," Bastian said at a travel event in the U.S.

U.S. President Joe Biden signed an order Monday imposing new vaccination requirements for most foreign national air travelers and eliminating severe travel restrictions on India, China, and much of Europe, which will take effect November 8 and will be implemented gradually.

"We are going to see a significant increase in demand, but in order to keep that increase going, we're going to have to make it easier for individuals to figure out what paperwork they need to comply with," Bastian said.

In the same way that airlines presently verify COVID-19 test results for foreign travelers, airlines will now examine vaccination documents for international travelers.

In an interview, U.S. Travel Chief Executive Roger Dow expressed concern about whether border officials in the U.S. will be prepared for the expected surge on November 8.

"I believe there will be a few snags," Dow said, adding that the travel industry believes the increase in foreign travel "will be much larger than people anticipate."

At the travel event, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that the government is preparing for a major rise in domestic and international aviation travel over the holiday season.

"I believe we will be well prepared to deal with what we anticipate to be a significant increase in holiday traffic," Mayorkas added.

In a statement last week, American Airlines and Southwest Airlines, as well as the White House, disclosed they do not believe the Biden administration's executive order mandating that federal contractors require employee vaccinations by December 8 will have an impact on holiday travel or result in employees leaving their positions.

Initial fears of a mass exodus of unvaccinated airline and government employees participating in travel right before the Christmas season were allayed by airlines and industry observers, who cited comments from the White House last week as justification for their decision.