ANA has become the latest airline to carry out trials of the IATA Travel Pass, a digital health passport created by the International Air Transport Association (IATA).
The Japanese carrier has invited customers to take part in the trial on its Tokyo Haneda-Honolulu and Tokyo Haneda-New York JFK routes from May 24 until June 6. See a table of the flights included in the trial at the end of this news story.
The IATA Travel Pass app enables passengers to receive Covid-19 test results and verify they are eligible to undertake their journey through an ‘OK to Travel’ status. The digital health verification app has been under development since last year, and over 20 airlines have signed up for trials in the coming weeks and months. To read more about the initiative, see:
To qualify for the ANA trial, customers must be aged 18 or over, take a Covid-19 test at a specified centre, and have a passport containing an electronic chip. They must also have a smartphone that can read the NFC (near-field communication) chip within their passport.
The airline has provided more details on the trial process in the image below:
ANA is providing discounted Covid-19 tests at certain specified test centres for those that take part in the trial. Customers who complete a post-trial survey will also receive 1,000 ANA miles in their ANA Mileage Club account.
The airline states that the trial “will further ANA’s ability to apply innovative digital solutions that help passengers travel safely while also fully complying with Covid-19 entry requirements worldwide.”
To find out more about the trial, and to register, visit ana.co.jp.
Junichiro Miyagawa, Executive Vice President of ANA Alliances and International Affairs, commented:
“Passenger comfort and safety has been our top priority throughout the pandemic, and we look forward to testing IATA Travel Pass on two of our most popular international routes. By leveraging the insights and customer feedback from this trial, our goal is to make international travel safer and more secure, and provide more convenient options to our customers.”
Nick Careen, IATA Senior Vice President for Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security, added:
“We commend and look forward to working with ANA on the live trial of IATA Travel Pass. The trial will help build confidence among governments and travelers that digital health apps can safely, securely and conveniently help restart aviation. The app gives travelers a one-stop-shop to help them comply with the new rules for travel, and governments can have complete assurance in the identity of the passenger and the authenticity of the travel credentials being presented.”
The airline recently also completed trials of the Common Health passport on its Tokyo Haneda-New York route.
For a look at the pros and cons of “vaccine passports”, and the different options being developed, see our recent features:
| Flight Number | Route | Schedule (Departure/Arrival) |
Departure dates | Itinerary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NH 186 | Tokyo Haneda (HND) ⇒Honolulu (HNL) |
21:55 – 10:15 | May 24, 28, 31, 2021 June 4, 2021 |
Origin: Haneda Final destination: Honolulu |
| NH 185 | Honolulu (HNL) ⇒Tokyo Haneda (HND) |
13:50 – 17:25 (+1) | May 25, 29, 2021 June 1, 5, 2021 |
Origin: Honolulu Final destination: Haneda |
| NH 110 | Tokyo Haneda (HND) ⇒New York (JFK) |
10:20–10:15 | May 24, 25, 28, 29, 31, 2021 June 1, 4, 5, 2021 |
Origin: Haneda Final destination: U.S. |
| NH 109 | New York (JFK) ⇒Tokyo Haneda (HND) |
18:15–21:15 (+1) | May 25, 26, 29, 30, 2021 June 1, 2, 5, 6, 2021 |
Origin: New York Final destination: Haneda |
