Source: Air France

On 17 June, Air France started the trial of IATA Travel Pass on flights from New York-JFK and Barcelona-BCN to Paris-Charles de Gaulle. With this experiment, the airline seeks to offer its passengers an improved customer experience by streamlining the checking of COVID-19 test results.

Available on smartphones, IATA Travel Pass app enables travellers to:

  • Check up on the latest COVID-19 related entry requirements for their country of destination, for non-vaccinated travellers
  • Have the results of COVID-19 tests performed at partner laboratories sent directly into the app,
  • Securely store these documents in the app so they can demonstrate to airlines and authorities that they meet the relevant entry requirements, without having to divulge further information about their personal health.

IATA Travel Pass should also bring greater speed and efficiency to the checks performed at the airport.

This trial is free of charge for customers and offered on a voluntary basis. It is open to customers travelling on Air France-operated flights with Paris as their final destination from New York JFK until 8 July, and from Barcelona BCN until 30 June 2021.

IATA Travel Pass meets the strictest data protection requirements. All the user’s health details remain on the app: at no point are they transmitted or centrally stored, which assures the user of total control over all their personal data.

The trial marks a further step in making travel simple and reliable again and highlights Air France’s commitment to exploring the best options available to provide its customers with the highest level of health and safety.

These efforts have notably been recognized by a 4-star score at the Skytrax Covid-19 Airline Safety rating, and more recently by a Diamond Award at the APEX Health Safety rating powered by SimpliFlying.

Passengers traveling to Corsica and the French Overseas Departments on departure from Paris-Orly airport can already present their proof of vaccination and the results of a COVID-19  test using the state-supported TousAntiCovid App, which will be compatible with the European Green Pass which will come into force on 1 July, 2021.
Alain-Hervé Bernard, Chief Operating Officer – Air France, declared: “After a year of lockdowns and travel restrictions, people are longing to travel and be reunited with family and friends. We are continuously calling for worldwide coordinated and harmonized health standards and standardized travel documents to facilitate deployment of digital tools and provide for our customers a smooth and safe customer journey. The full integration of a digital solution in the passenger journey is a key condition for the resumption of international travel. IATA Travel Pass is an example of a digital tool that could become the standard for travel document verification, and we are pleased to trial this solution. ”

Nick Careen – IATA’s Senior Vice President for Operations, Safety and Security, said: “We are pleased with Air France’s trial of IATA Travel Pass. To reopen borders, governments need to be confident that they are mitigating the risk of importing COVID-19. Testing, or proof of vaccine, is the solution. IATA Travel Pass will collaborate with governments, airlines, laboratories and travelers to verify these documents in a secure way, ensuring reliable information on the health status of travelers.”