| (26 Oct 2021) British Airways has signed a long-term agreement with Daon so that it can expand use of the VeriFLY mobile health pass across its network, following an extensive trial. Travellers can upload any COVID19 related documentation required for their destination, including vaccination records, negative COVID19 results and government documents, straight into the VeriFLY mobile app so that they are verified before travel. The app lets travellers know if they have met the appropriate COVID19 entry requirements for their destination before leaving for the airport, avoiding any uncertainty.  As well as ensuring a customer has the correct documentation for their journey, British Airways has further developed the technology to allow customers using VeriFLY to check-in on the airline's website. Boarding passes can be downloaded ahead of arriving at the airport and those travelling with hand luggage can head straight through security without the need to visit a desk once they arrive at the airport, further increasing the capability for contactless travel. The airline initially started trialling VeriFLY in February 2021 on select routes, and has seen over 500,000 customers successfully verified before travel. VeriFLY is now available on all flights to North, South and Central America the Caribbean, Middle East, South Africa, Cayman Islands, Egypt and European destinations including Bulgaria, France, Croatia, Ireland and Switzerland, as well as on the majority of flights into the UK. Tom Grissen, Daon CEO, said, “British Airways and American Airlines were the first global airlines to truly understand what their customers would need to successfully navigate the ever-changing government travel requirements related to COVID19. By making VeriFLY available early on, British Airways travellers have had the advantage of a seamless and confident travel experience. We are delighted to see our partnership with British Airways grow stronger. Other organisations and airlines have followed their lead.” British Airways continues to work closely with Daon to further improve the app. Most recently it has extended the capability to read QR codes that appear on documentation such as a vaccination certificate or the UK passenger locator form, making document submission simple. For multiple travellers on one booking reference, they can use one smart phone to upload all documentation. The airline is also working closely with other airlines on the role that VeriFLY plays in multi sector journeys. Anthony Allcock, British Airways’ Chief Information and Digital Officer, said, “We started working with Daon at the beginning of this year with one simple objective – to make it as simple as possible for our customers to understand and conform with different country entry requirements when they fly with us. Since then, we have worked with Daon to make it even easier, allowing customers to unlock online check in and automate approvals for digital documentation such as vaccination certificates or the government’s passenger locator form, helping reduce complexity.” All data uploaded to VeriFLY or through BA's website is not retained by either organisation and is purged post travel, unless a government requires specific information to be temporarily kept for attestation or contact tracing, in which case it will be safeguarded for a limited time in line with GDPR laws. For all other countries that British Airways flies to, customers can verify their COVID19 documents through ‘Manage My Booking’ on BA's website and once verified they will be able to check-in online. Destinations include Hong Kong, Nigeria, Ghana, Singapore, India, Maldives and Pakistan, as well as a handful of European destinations. See also: What is the IATA Travel Pass, and what does it mean for travellers, airlines and the global travel industry? Exclusive video interview with Vinoop Goel.
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