British Airways, Virgin Atlantic
and Heathrow Airport are launching a trial to fast-track fully vaccinated
travellers entering the country. The trial is intended to support the UK
Government’s plan to allow those who have received a full course of
vaccinations to enter from amber-list countries without having to isolate or
quarantine.
The trial will involve passengers
arriving in Heathrow on selected BA flights from New York JFK and Athens, and
Virgin flights from Los Angeles and Montego Bay. The trial, which will be voluntary,
will be open to anyone who has received a full course of a WHO-approved vaccine
at least 14 days previously.
The idea of the trial is to reassure
Government that airlines and airports can check vaccine status upstream and
away from the border, ensuring no further pressure in UK immigration halls.
Those taking part in the trial will be able to use a dedicated arrivals lane at
the border.
A number of health passports will
be accepted in the trial including the NHS app, CDC card, US state-level
digital certification and the EU digital Covid certificate. British Airways
will also support customers’ vaccine verification through the Verifly app and
Virgin Atlantic customers can verify their vaccine certificate through a new
digital uploader tool, developed with Delta Air Lines and TrustAssure. As the
proof-of-concept develops, the options for customers to show vaccine status
will rapidly be expanded, across physical, digital and integrated formats,
including IATA Travel Pass.
Sean Doyle, British Airways CEO and chairman said: “We need to act
quickly to protect jobs [and] re-build the UK economy. We are already helping
our customers show proof of their vaccination status when travelling to a
number of other countries outside the UK which require it, and we’re confident
we can make this happen for entry to Britain too, very quickly.”
Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic
said: “Our proof-of-concept trial on selected US and Caribbean routes
demonstrates our readiness as an industry to rapidly operationalise the new
policy, and work with Government and authorities to ensure it is smoothly
implemented at pace, supporting the reopening of the transatlantic corridor,
without which £23m is lost each day from the UK economy.”
John Holland-Kaye, CEO of
Heathrow said: “This pilot will allow us to show that pre-departure and arrival
checks of vaccination status can be carried out safely, so that fully
vaccinated passengers can avoid quarantine from 19 July. In addition to this,
the UK Government must make progress on reopening travel between the US after a
designated taskforce was established to look at this back at the G7. Heathrow
is the main port for trade in goods and services with the US, the only country
with whom the UK has a trade surplus.”