Japan Airlines Trials Three Immunity Credential Systems

Japan Airlines is trialing three different immunity apps to make it easier for international travelers to comply with the entry requirements at their intended destinations. Two of the apps are expected to become international screening standards, while the third is being adopted in the short term due to its current popularity in the US.

The three apps in question are CommonPass, the IATA Travel Pass, and Daon’s VeriFLY, the latter of which is the one being rolled out for those headed to the United States. Japan Airlines is already offering VeriFLY service on select flights to the United States, and will expand the trial to cover other flights to North America later in the month, before moving forward with an official launch at some point in the future.

VeriFLY allows travelers to view their destination’s COVID-19 requirements, giving them an opportunity to upload the necessary test results and travel documents before they get on the plane. They can then use the app to display their travel status and enjoy a more streamlined screening process as they move through the airport. The platform has quickly garnered the support of a number of different carriers, with Iberia Airlines, British Airways, and American Airlines already offering VeriFLY service on all flights to the US.

CommonPass, on the other hand, is a collaboration between The Commons Project and The World Economic Forum that was built to validate COVID-19 test results from approved medical institutions. The service will use test results from the Toho University clinic located at Terminal 3 in Haneda Airport, and be trialed on Japan Airline’s Haneda to Honolulu route on April 2, and again on its Narita to Singapore route on April 5.

The IATA Travel Pass trial will begin in May on select international flights to determine how well the test-sharing utility works in practice. The app performs four separate functions, with a lab module that lets people share immunity credentials and another that helps them manage their travel documents. In both cases, the app was designed to give people more control over their personal information.

British Airways parent company IAG is working with IATA to develop the Travel Pass. The app is intended to help restore consumer confidence in the travel industry after the pandemic.

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April 12, 2021 – by Eric Weiss