American Airlines first to introduce Health Passport for international travel

American-Airlines-first-to-introduce-Health-Passport-for-international-travel

American Airlines is introducing a health passport app for international travelers flying to the U.S., becoming the first American carrier to streamline verification of COVID-19 test results and other health requirements for foreign arrivals.

On Jan. 23, the airline will launch VeriFLY, an app that helps customers understand and verify health-related travel requirements. The launch coincides with a new U.S. government policy requiring all inbound travelers ages 2 and above to obtain a negative COVID-19 test result within three days of departure.

“We’re expanding our work with VeriFLY to quickly evolve our usage of the app and make international travel easier for our customers,” said Julie Rath, American’s vice president of customer experience.

“We support the implementation of a global program to require COVID-19 testing for travelers to the United States, and we want to do everything we can to make travel a seamless experience for customers.”

Traveler at the Airport in US during pandemic

VeriFLY is available at the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. After downloading it, travelers can create a secure account, enter their destination and upload required health documentation, such as proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

The app will then verify that the traveler’s information meets the requirements of their destination and display a “pass” or “fail” message.

The app, which was developed by biometric and identity assurance company Daon, will streamline the airport check-in process before departure.

U.S. travelers can already use it for outbound flights to Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Jamaica and Honduras.

Several other airlines, including Lufthansa, United and Virgin Atlantic, have also been developing health passport apps for passengers. In addition, some carriers support the creation of a standardized COVID-19 vaccination passport that would identify inoculated passengers and allow them to bypass certain travel restrictions.

However, the World Tourism and Travel Council is opposed to vaccination passports, claiming that they would discriminate against people who don’t yet have access to the COVID-19 vaccines.