Virgin Atlantic today revealed that they were to launch trials of two COVID-19 related health passports. The first trials will begin from Monday, with the second app set to become available for passengers from mid-April.

Around the world, airlines are working on solutions for passengers to prove their COVID-19 status. After all, you can imagine the chaos if all airlines checked every passenger's certificates with pre-COVID-19 travel levels. Hence, the solution is increasingly looking like digital health passports.

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However, it doesn't look like it will be a one-size-fits-all approach, with Virgin Atlantic rival British Airways already trialing three different solutions. Virgin is also actively looking to adapt to COVID-19. Yesterday Virgin Atlantic's CEO came out in support of research suggesting that one rapid test on arrival is as effective as making people self isolate for ten days.

TrustAssure’s robust artificial intelligence

The first trial being launched by Virgin Atlantic sees the airline making use of artificial intelligence. The British airline will begin to offer the digital verification system from TrustAssure to select passengers from Monday. According to the airline, the trial will initially be centered on passengers traveling from the United Kingdom to the United States.

Virgin Atlantic health passport
The first trial will see documents verified by artificial intelligence. Photo: Virgin Atlantic

Passengers can upload Pre-departure COVID-19 test results and perhaps vaccination certificates in the future to the system via a mobile website. Within two minutes, artificial intelligence will validate the result. If the software gives the all-clear, a green QR code is generated for the passengers to show at check-in.

IATA Travel Pass

The second health passport initiative being launched by Virgin Atlantic is one that we've already heard lots about before. From April 16th, the airline will launch a one-month trial of IATA's Travel Pass health passport. This will be used exclusively on the London to Barbados service. According to Virgin, the health passport will be accepted by the Barbados border authorities.

The idea behind IATA's solution is to try and create a global solution to health passports. However, it has been much slower off the bat than other privately developed solutions. So far, many airlines are only trialing it on a couple of routes, with Singapore to London being the launch route earlier in March.

Air-New-Zealand-Chief-Digital-leaving
Virgin Atlantic will begin trialing IATA's digital travel pass to Barbados in April. Photo: IATA

Commenting on the trials, Corneel Koster, Chief Customer & Operating Officer, Virgin Atlantic, said,

"We can see a flightpath to soon allow the safe restart of international travel at scale, in time for summer. When the skies reopen; rapid, affordable testing combined with digital health integration will be vital to streamline and simplify the customer experience, make border health checks manageable and build consumer confidence"

Which of the two solutions proposed by Virgin Atlantic is your favorite? Let us know what you think and why in the comments!