Era of digital travel passports begins
New Apps are Boon to travel ease and confidence
We need to get to have a
common platform though it
may be through several different
vendors offerings such at
IATA Travel Pass and Trust
Assure.”
Many organizations and
companies have created various
types of these digital
passports designed initially
around Covid. A health passport
developed by the International
Air Transport Association
(IATA) is being
trialed by several airlines.
The IATA Travel Pass is a
mobile app to help passengers
easily and securely manage
their travel in line with government
requirements for
COVID-19 tests or vaccines.
This digital passport will
document the travelers Covid
testing history for those needing
proof when flying around
the glove. Travelers will also
be able to share the test and
vaccination certificates with
authorities and airlines to facilitate
travel. This is attempt
by IATA to create worldwide
standard since currently
there is no international or
national coordination on the
best practices for implementing
testing or vaccine results.
IATA’s director general A.de
Juniac recently commented
that the app is “still on track
for a full rollout of the app
during the first quarter of
this year.” “Partnership to
launch the IATA Travel Pass
is an important milestone on
the road to meaningfully restarting
international travel,
“ said IATA’s Nick Careen.
The Travel Pass will also include
a registry of testing
and eventually vaccination
centres – making it more
convenient for passengers to
find testing centres and labs
at their departure location
which meet the standards for
testing and vaccination requirements
of their destination.
The app will generate
QR codes to share relevant
information with authorities.
The other apps gaining
popularity Trust Assure and
VeriFLY. VeriFLY compiles
real-time wellness information
from self-certified health
questionnaires and/or diagnostic
COVID-19 test results
from over 20,000 performing
labs and provides digital
badging, proof of test status
for both antibody or viral testing,
AIRPORT V 4 OICE, FEBRUARY 2021
and (in the future) proof
of vaccine. Our HIPAA-compliant
solution removes the
burden from organizations to
structure agreements for lab
results in multiple locations.
Users enjoy countless ways
to acquire, verify, and assert
their credentials—proof of
health status, age, enrollment,
citizenship, membership, reservations,
and more. VeriFLY
is available on the Apple and
Android app stores.
Two unique uses of Veri-
FLY include: Denver International
Airport and the PA
Conv. Ctr. The airport hub recently
launched the VeriFLY
airport-security reservations
app that allows passengers to
“make a reservation to access
a dedicated TSA screening
lane and a reserved limitedcapacity
train car to the concourse.”
The app seems to be
the first of its kind. This version
of VeriFLY is only available
at DEN and is perfect
for health-conscious passengers
looking for a little more
confidence in their journey
through the airport.
In addition, the Pennsylvania
Convention Center announced
today that it has
partnered with Daon, a global
leader in biometric identity
technology, to deploy VeriFLY,
an app-based digital health
passport, to expedite a safe return
to work for its employees
and contractors.
Airlines in the trial process
of close to a digital passport
trial:
Emirate, Etihad Singapore
and Qatar are all planning
to use the IATA app. Beginning
in April, Emirates passengers
departing from Dubai
will be able to use the IATA
travel pass Emirates expects
to launch the app in April on
flights out of Dubai to validate
COVID-19 PCR tests before departure.
Passengers will be able to
share their test status before
arriving at the airport and the
app will then auto-populate
their details in the check-in
system, according to the carrier.
Etihad Airways will
launch its trial program during
the first quarter of 2021 on
flights from Abu Dhabi. Copa
Airlines will be the first carrier
in the Americas to trial
the IATA Travel Pass.
American Airlines fist US
airline announced its Veri-
FLY mobile health wallet
would is now being accepted
at all AA hubs airports in the
U.S. and by travelers flying
from AA’s domestic airports
to eight countries .
Alaska Airlines is now using
VeriFLY; BA will be trialing
the VeriFLY app for all
customers travelling from US
to UK from February 11th.
Other types of airline and
country digital passports include:
- “Travel-Ready Center”–
a new, United Airlines digital
solution where customers
can review COVID-19
entry requirements, find local
testing options and upload
any required testing
and vaccination records for
domestic and international
travel, all in one place. Features
include, “Agent on Demand”,
the ability to video
chat live with a customer
service agent to answer any
questions about pre-travel
requirements or documentation
. They can also schedule
a COVID-19 test at one of
more than 15,000 testing sites
around the world.
United Airlines also participated
in a trail with CommonPass
back in November/
December for flights from
Newark to London .
-CLEAR, transforms your
eyes and face into a touchless
ID, allowing you to quickly
and securely confirm your
identity–unlocking frictionless
experiences across the
physical and digital world.
They are offering CLEAR
Health a their product for the
Covid market.
-Mvine and iProov ,biometric
and identity management
companies announced the trials
in the United Kingdom of
their Covid-19 immunity and
vaccination passport on 13
January. This technology can
be plugged into existing NHS
infrastructure to meet specific
needs of local NHS organizations
as well as national
requirements.
-Denmark is developing
a digital “vaccine passport”
This passport may be rolled
out in the first months of this
year to be accessed through
the Danish public health website,
the ministry said. It was
not clear whether the passport
would be available via an app.
-The Los Angeles Wallet
pass is one of the first examples
in the United States of a
digital Covid-19 vaccine proof,
where patients can store information
related to their vaccination
status on their phones
and quickly produce it for anyone
who might need to know
— like an airline, or a school,
or a stadium holding a concert
once it’s safe again.
-Spain’s Health Minister
Salvador Illa said the country
will create a registry to show
who has refused to be vaccinated
and that the database
could be shared across Europe.
-The Vaccination Credential
Initiative coalition —
which includes Microsoft,
Salesforce and Oracle, as
well as U.S. health care nonprofit
Mayo Clinic — was announced
on Thursday. The
VCI said it wants to develop
technology that enables individuals
to obtain an encrypted
digital copy of their immunization
credentials that can be
stored in a digital wallet of
their choice, such as the Apple
Wallet or Google Pay.
-IBM has been developing
its own Digital Health Pass
that would enable individuals
to present proof of vaccination
or a negative test to gain access
to a public location, such
as a sports stadium, airplane,
university or workplace. The
pass, built on IBM’s blockchain
technology, can utilize
multiple data types, including
temperature checks, virus exposure
notifications, test results
and vaccine status.
Positive feedback for this
proof of health is backed by
many with Sir Richard Branson
saying, “Hopefully there
will be a proof-of-vaccination
piece of paper that people can
use to be able to get on a plane
without having to be tested
or without having to quarantine.”
Continued from page 1
Digital passports along with social distancing and masks will speed up TSA and Customs inspections and provide
confidence for more traveling again in 2021.
/A.de