British Airways to trial mobile health passport on some flights

LONDON, Jan 29 (Reuters) - British Airways said it would
trial a mobile health app on flights between London and the
United States, as airlines line up technology to help overcome
barriers to travel thrown up by COVID-19 pandemic.

BA, owned by IAG, said on Friday it would trial the
use of a mobile travel health passport, VeriFLY, following
American Airlines, which is already using it.

VeriFLY combines travel verification documents and COVID-19
test results on a phone app to ensure passengers are compliant
with destination entry requirements. Certified customers can
then be fast-tracked through the airport.

Flying is currently at minimal levels, with flight volumes
in Britain down more than 80% due to lockdowns and restrictions
which ban most people from travelling.

British Airways' chief executive Sean Doyle said the trial
was about getting ready to navigate different entry requirements
once travel does restart.

"Through these trials, we hope to provide travellers and
governments on both sides of the Atlantic with the tools and the
reassurance they need to make safe travel possible," he said in
a statement.
(Reporting by Sarah Young, Editing by Paul Sandle)