- American Airlines will launch a mobile “health passport” for international travelers to the United States.
- Passengers can use the Verifly app to upload negative results from the COVID-19 test and other necessary documents.
- The application will be available to American Airlines customers on January 23.
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American Airlines is launching a mobile “health passport” for international travelers arriving in the United States starting January 23, the airline said on Thursday.
The airline’s announcement comes after the decision by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday to require negative COVID-19 tests or proof of COVID-19 recovery from all travelers entering the US from January 26th.
To meet the new demands of the CDC, American will use Verifly’s mobile application platform to create a health passport. The app will allow travelers to confirm travel requirements and upload negative results from the COVID-19 test and other documents required to fly to the U.S.
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The airline is the first in the country to introduce this type of health passport system, according to American, and could, in theory, be used for similar proof of vaccination, if necessary in the future.
“We support the implementation of a global program to require the COVID-19 test for travelers to the United States and we want to do everything we can to make travel a perfect experience for customers,” Julie Rath, vice president of customer experience at American Airlines said in a statement.
The mobile health passport will be available to American Airline passengers starting January 23. US travelers flying to Jamaica, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras have already had access to the application.
The introduction of such a passport is not the only strategy that American Airlines has adopted to facilitate travel during the coronavirus pandemic. Last month, the airline announced that it would start offering home PCR tests for $ 129 to help travelers avoid quarantine.