PAL to conduct trial run of IATA’s COVID-19 travel pass app

Flag carrier Philippine Airlines (PAL) on Wednesday said it would pioneer the trial of the travel pass mobile app of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) in the country.

The travel pass aims to help international passengers manage COVID-era health requirements for a safer and more convenient travel experience, PAL said in a statement.

PAL and IATA will conduct a trial run of the new digital technology on the Philippine flag carrier's flights from Manila to Los Angeles and Singapore on select dates from May to June 2021.

"We want to make it simple for our customers to travel safely.  The IATA Travel Pass will help them verify that they comply with health rules and COVID test requirements, so they can board our flights with assurance and confidence,” PAL president and COO Gilbert Santa Maria said.

Nick Careen, IATA’s senior vice president for Airport, Passenger, Cargo, Security said that restarting international aviation safely has been at the forefront of IATA’s Travel Pass initiative.

“We are proud to partner with Philippines Airlines – the first airline in the Philippines - to trial the app and demonstrate that this technology can securely, conveniently and efficiently help manage passenger travel health credentials,” Careen said.

PAL said its trial of the IATA travel pass is in line with the Department of Tourism's (DOT) efforts to harness digital solutions for a safe reopening of Philippine tourism. 

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat earlier said, "Once the country's adoption of the IATA Travel Pass is put into motion, the DOT hopes to safely reopen our tourist destinations to international visitors and revive the tourism industry as a whole. But this will be done only when the time is right." 

PAL vice president for IT Services Angelique Tinsay said, "We welcome this initiative as a travel tool that will lead to a more convenient travel experience for our customers. That's what we aspire to give our passengers:  Safe, contactless travel, enabled by technology."

The IATA Travel Pass is a global-standard mobile app that validates and authenticates regulations of all countries on passenger health requirements for travel. 

The digital health application will enable a passenger to create a digital ID based on standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The app will be available for iOS and Android users.

Once downloaded, the IATA travel pass app allows travelers to upload their passport for digital biometrics.

During the trial, PAL said its passengers could add their itinerary in the app and review health rules and regulations of their destination, especially on the required COVID-19 testing before their departure.

The travel pass also enables partner and accredited COVID-19 testing centers to upload laboratory test results on the app.

One of the flag carrier's testing partners, Detoxicare Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, will be accredited by IATA during the trial to upload test results on the said app, according to PAL.

Passengers can then receive verified test results and a confirmation that they meet all health requirements for the destination, the airline said.

Using the Travel Pass will also fast-track the airport check-in process, reduce passenger congestion at the airport, and ensure seamless onward travel, it said.

PAL said it joined 27 participating airlines from 25 countries in conducting trial runs for the new travel pass technology.  --NB, GMA News