Etihad trials IATA travel pass on North American routes

Etihad Airways has started the trial of the IATA Travel Pass app to help passengers manage their travel health credentials easily.

Guests travelling from Abu Dhabi to Chicago, New York, Washington and Toronto, will be the first to trial the COVID-19 'digital travel passport'.

Running until May 31, passengers travelling on these routes can download the app and then book an appointment with the two accredited testing facilities (Life Diagnostics at Sultan Bin Zayed the First Street and BioGenix Labs at Masdar City).

At the clinic, passengers participating in the trial can show their passport and mobile device with the app.

Once the test result is ready, travellers will be able to view it on the Travel Pass app and also through the testing clinic’s own digital platform.

They will also benefit from faster check-in at the airport and a free 90mb Wi-Fi voucher to use in-flight.

Passengers who do not wish to participate in the trial can continue to follow the existing method of presenting a printed copy of their PCR test results at check in.

"Etihad has partnered with IATA so that together, a globally unified approach to a travel pass can be simplified to make travel easier once governments decide what regulations are required to cross borders in either direction," said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer of Etihad Aviation Group.

"The app gives travellers a one-stop-shop to help them comply with the new rules for travel, and for governments complete assurance in the identity of the passenger and the authenticity of the travel credentials being presented," explained Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President for Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security.

Emirates Airline started its trial of the IATA Travel Pass on April 15, on its Dubai to Barcelona flight.

At the moment, only select Emirates flights to Barcelona and London Heathrow are being used for the trial, with expansion to other routes planned soon.