British Airways has started trialling the IATA Travel Pass. The airline’s parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), has been working with International Air Travel Association (IATA), the association for the world’s airlines, to co-develop its Travel Pass app.
British Airways has begun trialling the IATA Travel Pass on flights from London Heathrow to Zurich and Geneva in Switzerland from yesterday.
The app can be downloaded onto a mobile device directly from the app store. Once downloaded, passengers will have to create a secure account and they will be presented with the entry requirements for their destination. Passengers travelling on British Airways can then book a Covid-19 test with an approved provider and the results will be automatically uploaded into the app by the laboratory.
The app will then check that a passenger meets the entry requirements for their destination and will then notify the customer to let them know that they are ready to travel.
Sean Doyle, Chairman and CEO, British Airways, said:
We are committed to exploring ways to ensure that the customer journey is as frictionless as possible and sharing our learnings to help the travel industry take off again. We know that digital travel passes are part of the solution and they will also play a key role in offering those travelling the reassurance they need before they arrive at the airport. We hope to be able to offer a customer-friendly digital option for every British Airways international route that requires proof of government mandated Covid status documentation
British Airways is also currently trialling digital travel app, VeriFLY, on routes to the United States, France, Ireland, Barbados, Bahamas and Canada, as well as all inbound international flights. Once a passenger has had their travel documentation certified through the app, they will be able to check-in through either ba.com or the British Airways app and download their boarding pass before arriving at the airport.
Passengers travelling on the British flag carrier to Cyprus, Germany, Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal can now also upload their negative COVID-19 test result and other documentation directly into ba.com for verification before travel.
Airlines such as Emirates, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Virgin Atlantic and Etihad Airways have already started trials of the IATA Travel Pass.
Meanwhile, British Airways recently revealed 4 new short-haul routes for Summer 2021, flights to Guernsey and Edinburgh & flights to Jersey and Gibraltar.
Featured image by British Airways
What do you think of British Airways’ trialling of IATA Travel Pass? Have you participated in the trials of the travel pass? Let me know in the comments section below.
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