Later this week customers travelling on selected flights from the US, Caribbean and Europe to London Heathrow will be invited to take part in a proving trial to support the Government in lifting some of the most onerous restrictions for travellers arriving from ‘amber list’ countriesFully vaccinated travellers of all nationalities will be able to present their Covid-19 credentials in digital or paper format to help prove vaccination status can be quickly and easily checked away from the border and allow safe entry to the UKAnonymised data will be shared with the UK Government at the earliest opportunity, providing real-world insights to support the introduction of a scheme to exempt fully vaccinated passengers from self-isolationParticipants will continue to adhere to current restrictions for travellers entering from ‘amber list’ countries during the trial periodThe proof-of-concept aims to support the Government to introduce exemptions for fully vaccinated travellers no later than 19 July, allowing the UK to catch-up with the EU and US, which have already introduced similar schemesRoutes including Los Angeles-LAX and New York-JFK have been chosen given Transatlantic air links between the US and UK are vital to re-start business, reunite families and allow people to go on holiday
Sean Doyle, British Airways CEO and Chairman said: “We need to act quickly to protect jobs, re-build the UK economy and reunite loved ones. We are already helping our customers show proof of their vaccination status when travelling to a number of other countries outside the UK which require it, and we’re confident we can make this happen for entry to Britain too, very quickly. We look forward to providing the data that proves it’s simple for fully vaccinated status to be verified and to the Government meeting its commitment to get the country moving again.”
Shai Weiss, CEO, Virgin Atlantic said: “To reap the benefits of the UK’s world-leading vaccine roll out, the UK Government must act now to remove self-isolation for fully vaccinated passengers arriving from ‘amber’ countries, and no later than the domestic reopening on 19th July. Our proof-of-concept trial on selected US and Caribbean routes demonstrates our readiness as an industry to rapidly operationalise the new policy, and work with Government and authorities to ensure it is smoothly implemented at pace, supporting the reopening of the Transatlantic corridor, without which £23m is lost each day from the UK economy.The UK is already falling behind US and EU and a continued overly cautious approach towards international travel will further impact economic recovery and the 500,000 UK jobs that are at stake.”
Customers on the following routes will be able to participate in the proving trial:
British Airways
New York (JFK) to London Heathrow (LHR)
BA112 Daily, arrives 06:30
BA182 Daily, arrives 09:40
Athens (ATH) to London Heathrow (LHR)
BA623 Daily, arrives 09:55
BA629 1 x weekly, arrives 16:20
BA633 1 x weekly, arrives 21:50
BA637 4 x weekly, arrives 19:05 or 18:55 or 18:25
BA639 5 x weekly, arrives 15:25 or 15:30
BA641 5 x weekly, arrives 17:25 or 17:35
Virgin Atlantic
VS24 Los Angeles (LAX) to London Heathrow (LHR), operating daily
VS166 Montego Bay (MBJ) to London Heathrow (LHR), operating twice a week
Vaccination eligibility
Fully vaccinated is classed as 14 days after the customer’s final jab.
The certificate should show the customer’s name, date of birth, dates of vaccination, vaccination type and located where the vaccine were administered.
Vaccination types accepted are WHO approved – Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Johnson & Johnson (Janssen), Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, Sinopharm.
Process
British Airways and Virgin Atlantic will be supporting eligible customers to participate in the trials through a range of tools and options, both digital and paper-based, depending on the airline and route flown.
British Airways
British Airways customers flying on applicable trial routes will be contacted by their airline inviting them to participate as part of their existing travel readiness communication.
Customers travelling on all British Airways international flights into the UK are offered the chance to download and use VeriFLY to upload and validate their Covid-19 documents including pre departure test certificate and passenger locator form (PLF). Once approved customers will be able to check-in online reducing the time required to be spent within the airport.
British Airways trial participants will be able to upload their vaccine credentials alongside existing travel documents. They will then be able to check-in online or go to dedicated VeriFLY check-in desks at Athens and JFK Terminal 7. Approved VeriFLY users will then be able to show either their photo within the app with green authorisation tick or a QR code newly created for UK arrivals at a dedicated lane within the immigration hall after landing at Heathrow Terminal 5 to validate their credentials.
Virgin Atlantic
Virgin Atlantic customers on Los Angeles and Montego Bay flights to London Heathrow will receive personal communications highlighting they are eligible to join the proving trial. Customers will have the option to produce a digital vaccine certificate in person if travelling from Los Angeles, or upload and verify their vaccine credential using a new digital uploader tool, developed in partnership with Delta Air Lines and backed by TrustAssure™ technology, the link to which will be shared directly with them.
Customers travelling from Montego Bay will be able to produce either paper or digital certificates. Upon arrival at Terminal 2 (or Terminal 3 from 15 July) there will be a dedicated lane within the immigration hall to verify their credentials at the UK Border.
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