Aer Lingus began trialling the IATA Travel Pass on flights from Amsterdam to Dublin yesterday, 5 July.
The IATA Travel Pass app can be downloaded onto a mobile device directly from the iOS App and Google Play store.
Once downloaded, customers will create a secure account and will be presented with the entry requirements for their destination.
Aer Lingus’ customers can then book a COVID-19 test with an approved provider and the results will be automatically uploaded into the app by the laboratory.
Ok to Travel
The app then checks that a customer meets the COVID-19 test entry requirements for their destination and will then notify the customer to let them know that they are ‘OK to travel’.
The airline’s parent company, International Airlines Group (IAG), has been working closely with IATA to co-develop the app that is now being successfully piloted by other global airlines, including British Airways and Iberia.
Lynne Embleton, Chairman and CEO, Aer Lingus said: “We are committed to exploring ways to ensure that the customer journey is as frictionless as possible and sharing our learnings to help the travel industry take off again.
“We know that digital travel passes are part of the solution and they will also play a key role in offering those travelling the reassurance they need before they arrive at the airport.”
Moving Beyond Ireland’s ‘Harsh Welcome’
Willie Walsh, Director General, IATA said: “Ireland is known around the world over for its hospitality. IATA Travel Pass can help Ireland move beyond the current harsh welcome of a stay in quarantine that is keeping visitors away, separating families and destroying jobs.”
He continued: “We look forward to a successful trial with Aer Lingus that should give the government the confidence it needs to re-open its borders and safely reclaim Ireland’s welcoming reputation.”
Aer Lingus has also been looking at a number of other digital solutions in addition to the IATA Travel Pass, including VeriFLY, which has been trialled on routes to and from the US and London Heathrow.
