Virgin Atlantic launch digital health pass trials

Virgin Atlantic embarks on digital health pass trials in bid to ease travelling during the pandemic

Virgin Atlantic is set to launch two digital health pass trials for the IATA Travel Pass on flights from the UK to the US and Barbados in hopes to make traveling as safe and efficient as possible during the COVID-19 pandemic. The IATA Travel Pass will be available from April 16 for the carrier’s UK-Barbados services.
Digital health passes have gone mainstream as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic with major carriers such as British Airways and Virgin Atlantic offering their own alternatives. So far, the most prominent choice amongst carriers is the IATA Travel Pass who currently represent 290 airlines, equating to 82% of global air traffic.
Travelers from London Heathrow to Barbados will be invited onto the trial by downloading the free IATA Travel Pass app. The app creates a digital ID profile for each individuals along with their COVID-19 credentials,  relevant flight information and passport.
According to Globetrender, Lisa Cummins, Barbados’ minister of tourism and international transport, shared:

Safe travel is integral to Barbados’s full return to tourism, and we welcome this progressive step which complements our already implemented public health protocols and programmes.
Barbados travel protocols have included a negative Covid-19 test since last year, and we are currently leading the Caribbean in an aggressive inoculation programme which has seen nearly 30 per cent of our adult population vaccinated to date.
The IATA Travel Pass lends an extra element of safety to both our visitors and Barbadians, giving them the confidence that we are engaging in and promoting travel that protects us all. As we look ahead to the next few months, our intention is to create a new-look tourism industry that holistically reflects the new public health imperatives.”

Source: Globetrender