Qantas has run a trial with passengers of a digital health app on its international repatriation flight from Frankfurt to Darwin. This follows a successful trial with crew last month.
The CommonPass smartphone app offers a convenient and secure method for verifying COVID test results and vaccination information to border or health officials and airline staff.
The app connects passengers to certified testing labs so that results can be uploaded to the platform and passengers can show they have proof of a negative COVID test result before their flight.
CommonPass is one of two digital solutions that Qantas is assessing, alongside the IATA Travel Pass.
Stephanie Tully, Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer:
“COVID test results and proof of vaccine will be required in many countries for quarantine-free travel, just as it has been for polio and yellow fever vaccinations in the past. Even if it wasn’t a government requirement, Qantas has always been a leader in safety and we have a responsibility to our customers and crew.
“During the trial, customers travelling on our international repatriation flights are being invited to download the CommonPass app on their device. Longer term we’d like to integrate the technology with our existing Qantas app so that our customers can manage all parts of their journey in the one place.
CommonPass
CommonPass is a globally-interoperable platform for people to document their COVID-19 status (health declarations / PCR tests / vaccinations) to satisfy country entry requirements.
It comes from The Commons Project Foundation. They are a New York based nonprofit public trust established to build platforms and services to make life better for people around the world.
Digital Health Apps
Passengers will probably need to prove they have had a vaccine or at least a recent positive test before entering many countries.
A lot of work is going on to provide passengers a way to provide this information.
There are a number of number of digital apps. Some in use, come in trial, some in development.
The main ones at the moment are:
N.B. Image credit: CommonPass
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