Virgin Atlantic to offer pre-travel Covid testing verification
James ChappleVirgin Atlantic has partnered with Delta Air Lines on what they hope will serve as a "digital blueprint" for the resumption of transatlantic air travel.
Passengers flying with Virgin and Delta between the UK and the US can now seek "FlyReady" status before they head to their departure airport.
The initiative allows passengers to upload and verify any necessary pre-travel testing results for Covid-19 up to three days prior to departure.
Providing their evidence of a negative test for Covid-19 is valid, they will be given FlyReady status. Virgin said this would allow passengers to proceed more smoothly through any pre-flight checks.
FlyReady will be integrated straight into the Virgin Atlantic website via the My Booking page and will not require passengers to download a third-party app.
Powered by TrustAssure, Virgin says the tool will allow passengers to confirm the validity of their Covid status in less than two minutes.
FlyReady status will be automatically linked to passengers’ booking references, while a dedicated fast-track check-in lane for customers with FlyReady status will be available for Virgin customers departing Heathrow.
At launch, FlyReady will only support testing as a health credential for travel, with vaccination status set to be integrated later in the summer.
"It means that if entry requirements for the UK or US evolve to exempt fully vaccinated customers from quarantine or testing requirements, Virgin Atlantic FlyReady can be easily adapted to offer integrated vaccine status for customers," said Virgin.
Passengers booked on flights where FlyReady will be available will be contacted over the coming weeks with instructions on how to take advantage of the new scheme.
They will also be able to complete the mandatory US passenger attestation form digitally via virginatlantic.com and have this linked to their booking as well.
Corneel Koster, Virgin’s chief customer and operating officer, said FlyReady would make transatlantic journeys "as smooth and seamless as possible" by allowing pre-travel checks to be done digitally in advance of travel.
“With world-leading vaccination programmes in both the UK and US, there is a clear opportunity to safely open up travel between these two low-risk countries and allow vaccinated travellers to be free from testing and quarantine, consistent with the approach taken by the US and the EU," added Koster.
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