American Airlines streamlines pre-travel health requirements with new mobile app

If you're planning to travel internationally, you'll need to pack a negative COVID test when returning to the U.S.

Plus, your destination country might also require a pre-departure test, as well as other health documents.

To ease (some of) the burden, American Airlines is working to streamline the pre-travel process with new technology. Starting on Feb. 3, the Fort Worth-based carrier will expand access to the VeriFLY mobile app.

Flyers can download the VeriFLY app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, select a destination, upload negative test results and then receive a QR code to show at the airport check-in counter.

As of Feb. 3, American flyers can use the streamlined check-in process on the following itineraries:

• International flights to the U.S.
• Itineraries from a domestic airport (including connecting flights) to:
• United Kingdom, Canada, Jamaica, Chile, Colombia, El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala

On Feb. 4, select British Airways passengers headed to the U.S. will also have access to VeriFLY's mobile health passport.

This QR code-based verification process is a win-win for customers and airlines.

According to Preston Peterson, American's director of customer experience innovation, "VeriFLY offers peace of mind for the customer. By submitting their health information before getting to the airport, the customer will know they are ready to go."

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For flyers, check-in lines should move faster since agents won't need to look at physical paperwork. Plus, as Peterson said, there's added peace-of-mind that your pre-travel test was verified before arriving at the airport.

In addition to the simplified airport experience, airlines won't need to worry about fraudulent COVID test certificates.

When announcing the expansion of the VeriFLY app, Julie Rath, vice president of customer experience at American said that "we are constantly looking at ways to make travel easier and simpler for our customers, and navigating testing requirements and validation is a big piece of that."

Notably, VeriFLY doesn't just verify your test result. It'll also prompt you to complete digital attestation forms where necessary, which further streamlines the pre-travel health requirements.

Other airlines: United launches all-in-one travel center with support for vaccine passports

To date, American says that thousands of customers have traveled using the app. And with the latest expansion, that number is sure to skyrocket.

One day, hopefully, the app will expand to include a COVID vaccine passport, which will likely be a major step in travel resuming to pre-pandemic levels.