Virgin
Atlantic has started a one-month-long live trial of IATA’s Travel Pass digital
health system, claiming a first for a UK airline.
The
trial was launched on this morning’s VS131 flight from Heathrow to Barbados. Passengers,
travelling for legally permitted reasons, were invited to join the voluntary trial.
The Travel Pass app allows travellers to verify that they meet the health criteria needed to
travel between certain countries, to locate labs, and to present evidence of a
negative Covid-19 test to the relevant authorities. Future updates of the app
will also incorporate vaccine records.
Corneel Koster, Virgin Atlantic’s chief customer & operating
officer, said: "When international restarts at scale, rapid, affordable
testing and effective digital proof of Covid-19 credentials based on global
common standards will make journeys easier and provide greater confidence to
book.
"We urge the UK Government to confirm that our customers can use digital
apps and that these will be accepted at the UK border. The current
paper-only-based processes will not be viable as customer numbers increase.”
Nick Careen, IATA's senior vice president airport, passenger,
cargo, security, said: "A digital solution for health credentials is
essential for travel while Covid-19 remains a risk. Managing the risk of
importing Covid-19 cases using paper processes will be a hassle for passengers.
It will be unmanageable for airlines, airports and border authorities. And it
will leave the system vulnerable to fraud.”
British Airways is using the Verifly app and is also testing the IATA Travel Pass app through its parent company IAG.