British Airways (BA) will begin trialing a new travel health app, VeriFLY, with passengers who are eligible to travel between London and the US from Feb. 4.
The new digital health travel passport, which can be downloaded to a mobile device, checks that passengers meet the entry requirements of their destination by providing digital health document verification and confirming eligibility.
Use of the VeriFLY app, pioneered by private software company Daon, will certify test certificates and required travel documentation on a personal mobile device before leaving home, and offers a fast-track opportunity at the airport. It will be optional, and customers can also submit evidence they meet US entry requirements at check-in.
The trial follows the recent announcement that American Airlines, BA’s joint business and oneworld alliance partner, now allows all customers to use VeriFLY when they are traveling to the US from all international destinations.
BA said it is the first airline in the UK to trial the use of a mobile travel health passport for customers traveling from London. It will also be the only airline outside the US to offer its customers the opportunity to trial VeriFLY.
“Although flying is currently restricted, it is essential we do as much as we can now to help those who are eligible to fly and prepare to help our customers navigate the complexities around changing global entry requirements when the world re-opens,” BA CEO Sean Doyle said. “We remain focused and committed to finding user-friendly, evidence-based solutions to make journeys as seamless they can be. Through these trials, we hope to provide travelers and governments on both sides of the Atlantic with the tools and the reassurance they need to make safe travel possible.”
Phase two of the trial, which will follow in the near future, will extend to cover customers traveling to the UK from the US across both carriers, according to BA.
“This will make British Airways and American Airlines the first transatlantic partners to offer a digital solution for eligible customers flying to the UK,” the carrier said in a statement.
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