All travelers who want to fly to the U.S. are required to present proof of a negative Covid-19 test. For now, that proof takes the form of a printout of a test result, or a photo of that result — creating opportunities for misunderstandings or potential fraud. Newly launched digital initiatives are hoping to clear up any ambiguity, standardize information, and share it securely.
International travel is likely to be the first industry to employ new digital passports. One of the first flights to trial a new “digital passport” embedded with vaccination information and test results took off Thursday morning, a Qatar Airways flight from Doha to Istanbul.
Fliers log in to the Travel Pass app using FaceID on their smartphone, then take a selfie to authorize access. They can then scan their passport using the camera on the phone. From there, passengers can add their itinerary, vaccination certificates, and Covid-19 test results.
As part of this trial, passengers in Doha can go to a local medical center, which will send their test results directly to the app. The app shows a green checkmark to say you’re ready to travel. The airlines also have access to the backend system, allowing for contactless and paperless verification.
“What it will do is give people and the authorities confidence that your documentation is correct that you have been vaccinated. You don’t have to carry pieces of paper around, which you could lose and get into a bind with the authorities,” Qatar Airways Group CEO, Akbar Al Baker, told NBC News.
Both the International Air Transport Association, which developed the Travel Pass, and the airlines using it, say the Travel Pass will adhere to strict data privacy restrictions.
“It also will give you confidence as a passenger that your data that you have put into the system stays on your smartphone and is not being shared with anybody else,” Al Baker said.
Over a dozen airlines have already signed up to trial the pass, including Emirates, Singapore…