American Airlines has become the first US airline to roll out a “health passport” app for inbound international travelers from all destinations it serves, a move the airline believes will help it support international flying as the COVID-19 crisis continues.

“American is expanding access to the [VeriFLY] app [on Jan. 23] in support of the US government’s requirement that all passengers two years of age and older traveling to the United States from any international location test negative for COVID-19 within three calendar days of departure,” the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW)-based airline said in a statement.

American Airlines VP of customer experience Julie Rath added: “We’re expanding our work with VeriFLY to quickly evolve our usage of the app and make international travel easier for our customers.”

“We support the implementation of a global program to require COVID-19 testing for travelers to the United States, and we want to do everything we can to make travel a seamless experience for customers.”

VeriFLY was developed and is managed by the biometric authentication solutions provider Daon. After creating a secure profile on the VeriFLY app, Daon verifies that the customer’s data matches a country’s COVID-19 requirements and displays a pass or fail message. “This simple message streamlines the check-in and documentation verification process at the airport before departure,” American said. “The app also provides travelers with reminders when their travel window is coming to a close or once their credential has expired.”

American already uses the VeriFLY app for outbound passengers traveling from the US to several countries including Jamaica, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. "To date, thousands of American Airlines customers have traveled using the app," American noted.

Photo credit: American Airlines