Is this Covid-19 vaccine and test tracker app the new travel essential? Singapore Airlines becomes the first airline in the world to try out IATA’s Travel Pass
- Passengers with iPhones travelling from Singapore to London can download the app for a more convenient check-in process at Changi Airport in March 2021
- If the pilot programme is successful, the entire digital health verification process will be integrated into the Singapore Air mobile app from mid-2021
Singapore Airlines has become the world’s first airline to use the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) Travel Pass, a mobile application designed to show if passengers have been vaccinated against Covid-19 or tested negative for the coronavirus.
Passengers using mobile phones running Apple’s iOS can download the IATA Travel Pass app and create a digital ID comprised of their profile photo and passport information.
They can book their pre-departure Covid-19 test at one of seven participating clinics in Singapore via a dedicated online portal. They can then register at the clinic using the digital ID and flight information in the app.
On the app, they are able to view their test results and whether they are confirmed to fly, and are required to show their confirmed status in the app to the check-in staff at Changi Airport before flight departure.
The air carrier said the app should speed up the check-in process, noting that the data will be stored locally in the mobile phone and not in any central database, considering the highly sensitive nature of health data.
If successful, the pilot programme will pave the way for the integration of the entire digital health verification process into the Singapore Air mobile app from around mid-2021 using IATA’s Travel Pass framework, the company said.
“This will help provide a hassle-free digital system for our customers in the new normal, and help bring about a more seamless travel experience,” said JoAnn Tan, the acting senior vice-president for marketing planning at Singapore Airlines.
Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice-president for airport, passenger, cargo and security, said, “Our partnership with Singapore Airlines for the first full deployment of the IATA Travel Pass will help get the world flying again.”
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This article originally appeared on Korea Times.