Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic customers travelling between the US and UK this summer will be among the first to use a new digital health pass, FlyReady.
The tool will initially help manage Covid-19 testing requirements but vaccination credentials will be integrated later this summer.
Delta began testing the new solution in late April on flights between Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport and Heathrow.
Virgin Atlantic plans to begin testing the solution on flights between Heathrow and US cities from this month.
The technology helps customers schedule tests that meets destination requirements, automatically verifies test results and confirms travellers meet the necessary testing requirements.
“Early in the pandemic, we realised that our customers would need a way to navigate the complex requirements of post-Covid international travel, so we began working with our partners at Virgin Atlantic to develop this solution,” said Allison Ausband – E.V.P. and Chief Customer Experience Officer.
Those eligible to use the tool during the test will be contacted before travel with information on how to participate.
Unlike similar products, there is no need for passengers to download an app because the solution is integrated directly into the airlines’ systems.
Delta assured customers that all health data associated with FlyReady is encrypted. Nothing is stored in the airlines’s systems.
“Virgin Atlantic FlyReady and Delta FlyReady will help to strengthen customers’ confidence as they return to the skies, by making their trans-Atlantic journeys as smooth and seamless as possible, while navigating new Covid-19 travel requirements in a convenient digital format,” said Corneel Koster, Chief Customer & Operating Officer, Virgin Atlantic.
The airlines continue to encourage governments on both sides of the Atlantic to allow UK residents and citizens to enter the US and to move the US to the UK’s green list. At present, the US remains on the UK’s amber list.
