Etihad Airways to trial IATA Travel Pass on US, Canada flights until May 31
Global airlines launch trials of digital health passport to speed up traveller movements
Dubai: Passengers on Etihad Airways flights from Abu Dhabi to Chicago, New York, Washington and Toronto between now and May 31 will trial the IATA Travel Pass app for their COVID-19 health checks.
“Etihad believes that a digital health passport solution will provide additional clarity and ease for travellers,” said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Aviation Group “Etihad has partnered with IATA so that together a globally unified approach to a travel pass can be simplified to make travel easier once governments decide what regulations are required to cross borders in either direction.”
How to take part?
To participate in the trial, guests download the IATA Travel Pass app from Apple's App Store and book an appointment with Life Diagnostics at Sultan Bin Zayed the First Street or BioGenix Labs at Masdar City. At the clinic, they must inform reception they are participating in the IATA Travel Pass trials and should be ready to show their passport and mobile device with the app downloaded.
Once test results are ready, travellers will be able to view it on both the app and through the testing clinic’s own digital platform. “The app gives travellers a one-stop-shop to help them comply with the new rules for travel, and for governments complete assurance in the identity of the passenger and the authenticity of the travel credentials being presented,” said Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President for Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security.
The platform will enable Etihad’s guests to create a ‘digital passport’ to receive COVID-19 test results and verify they are eligible to undertake their journey. The pass will keep passengers in control of their data and facilitate the sharing of their tests with airlines and airport authorities. It will also make it convenient for passengers to manage travel documentation throughout their journey.
Priority given
Guests participating in the pilot will benefit from priority queue access at Life Diagnostics and Biogenix Labs for their PCR test, faster check-in at the airport and a free 90MB wi-fi voucher to use in-flight. Passengers who do not wish to participate in the trial can continue to follow the existing method of sharing PCR test results with Etihad by presenting a printed copy of their results at check in.