Korean Air has announced that its customers will be among the first in the world to have access to the IATA Travel Pass App that provides a secure system to manage COVID-19 testing or vaccination information digitally.
Korean Air says that it will test the digital travel pass developed by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to prepare the world for safe and convenient air travel in the post-COVID er, with the trial planned for the airline’s Incheon-Los Angeles KE011 flight in May after an internal test in April.
The IATA Travel Pass can show passengers’ COVID-19 test results through a mobile phone application, with the travel pass will be further developed to include proof of vaccination.
Korean Air says that as COVID-19 vaccinations become widely available and travel demand recovers, COVID-19 vaccination and test results will be critical, however, it is difficult for governments to validate paper vaccination certifications or COVID-19 test results, and immigration procedures are expected to take longer and there is also the possibility of paper certificates being forged.
Korean Air says that the IATA Travel Pass has been developed not only to solve such problems, but also to encourage safe travel between countries by standardizing health verification through a credible platform and IATA has been working closely with governments to gain their support for the travel pass initiative.
Korean Air’s Chief Customer Service Officer, Seungbum Lee said, “We believe the digital travel pass will improve customer experience for passengers as they can share health information in a convenient and secure manner, and save processing time at the airports,” and “Korean Air will continue its efforts to provide a safe and seamless travel experience through initiatives such as the travel pass.”
Nick Careen, IATA’s Senior Vice President, Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security said, “Partnering with Korean Air to trial IATA Travel Pass is an important milestone towards giving governments the confidence to restart the industry and jointly we will help demonstrate that aviation has developed a solution to ensure that passengers are meeting travel requirements”.
Korean Air plans to trial the IATA Travel Pass in May on the airline’s Incheon-Los Angeles KE011 flight, with as part of the goal to “Test & Fly,” passengers can take a COVID-19 antigen test at the Incheon Airport’s testing centre, and receive test results within an hour on the Travel Pass mobile app, which passengers need to install in advance.
Korean Air will cooperate with IATA to smoothly implement the IATA Travel Pass, while continuing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through its safety and cleanliness program “CARE FIRST,” which includes frequent and thorough disinfection of aircraft, fever checks and minimal contact between passengers and employees.
An edited report by John Alwyn-Jones
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