British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and Heathrow Airport have joined forces to prove that it is possible to quickly and easily verify those arriving into the U.K. are fully vaccinated against the COVID-19 coronavirus – an identification process already in place for outbound travel to several countries.
Earlier this week, Germany became the latest country to confirm it would accept fully vaccinated U.K. travelers without the need to quarantine. The new U.K. proving trial, enabling inbound travelers to present their fully vaccinated status, will support the Government to move forward with its plans to remove quarantine for double-jabbed passengers entering the U.K. from ‘amber list’ countries. The initiative will see fully vaccinated volunteers travelling on selected flights from Athens, Los Angeles, Montego Bay, and New York to London Heathrow showing proof of their vaccine status. The trial aims to reassure the Government that airlines and airports can check vaccine status upstream and away from the border, ensuring no further pressure in U.K. immigration halls. Those taking part in the trial will be able to use a dedicated arrivals lane at the border and British Airways customers will be able to access a discounted rate for the mandatory arrival tests.
Internationally recognized vaccination credentials will be accepted in the proving trial including the NHS app, CDC card, U.S. state-level digital certification, and EU Digital Covid Credential. British Airways will also support customers’ vaccine verification through the VeriFLY app and Virgin Atlantic customers can verify their vaccine certificate through a new digital uploader tool, developed in partnership with Delta Air Lines and backed by TrustAssure™ technology. As the proof-of-concept develops, the options for customers to show vaccine status will rapidly be expanded across physical, digital, and integrated formats, including IATA Travel Pass
