British Airways Offers VeriFLY Service on Flights to the US

British Airways will soon become the first airline outside of the US to offer VeriFLY service to its customers. The service will first be offered on flights from London to the US, and will then expand to cover flights from the US to the UK.

The VeriFLY app can be downloaded on iOS and Android devices, and gives people an easy way to share their travel credentials. Most notably, they can link their travel documents to a COVID-19 test result to prove that they meet the health screening requirements of their destination. Those that do so will not need to prove their status at the airport, and will instead be directed to a fast lane that lets them move through security checkpoints more quickly.

The app itself was developed by Daon, and has previously only been offered on select American Airlines flights. American Airlines and British Airways are joint business partners, and will continue to act as such when offering VeriFLY on their transatlantic service.

“Although flying is currently restricted, it is essential we do as much as we can now to help those who are eligible to fly and prepare to help our customers navigate the complexities around changing global entry requirements when the world re-opens,” said British Airways CEO Sean Doyle. “Through these trials, we hope to provide travellers and governments on both sides of the Atlantic with the tools and the reassurance they need to make safe travel possible.”

British Airways will start offering VeriFLY service on flights from London to all US destinations on February 4. VeriFLY will be available on return flights from the US to the UK at a later date.

American Airlines and British Airways will also be conducting a COVID-19 testing trial in collaboration with LetsGetChecked, which allows travelers to get tested at home in the days before their flight. Those tests results will be shared with the British and US governments, and with various academic institutions.

American Airlines initially offered VeriFLY for flights to Jamaica, and then extended coverage to Chile and other countries in Latin America. The feature is now available on all of American Airlines’ inbound flights to the United States.

–

February 1, 2021 – by Eric Weiss