Korean Air to Trial IATA’s Travel Pass on Route Between Seoul-Incheon and Los Angeles

Korean Air will trial IATA’s Travel Pass in May on KE011 from Seoul-Incheon to Los Angeles, after conducting an internal test in April. The IATA app provides a secure digital system to manage COVID-19 testing and vaccination information.

Korean Air Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner - Courtesy Boeing

On Thursday (March 18, 2021), Korean Air announced that they will trial IATA’s Travel Pass in May, after conducting an internal trial in April. The test light will be KE011 with service between Seoul’s Incheon International Airport (ICN) and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Korean Air guests will be among the first in the world with access to the IATA app, which provides a secure digital platform to manage COVID-19 testing and vaccination information. Currently the IATA Travel Pass can show a customer’s COVID-19 test results through the mobile phone application, which is being further developed to include proof of vaccination.

In Thursday’s announcement, Korean Air’s Chief Customer Service Officer, Seungbum Lee, said,

“We believe the digital travel pass will improve customer experience for passengers as they can share health information in a convenient and secure manner, and save processing time at the airports. Korean Air will continue its efforts to provide a safe and seamless travel experience through initiatives such as the travel pass.”

Also commenting on the trial, IATA’s Senior Vice President – Airport, Passenger, Cargo and Security, Nick Careen, added,

“Partnering with Korean Air to trial IATA Travel Pass is an important milestone towards giving governments the confidence to restart the industry. Jointly we will help demonstrate that aviation has developed a solution to ensure that passengers are meeting travel requirements.”

As part of the airline’s “Test & Fly’ program, customers can take a COVID-19 antigen test at Incheon Airport’s testing center. They will receive the results within an hour on the IATA Travel Pass mobile app, which customers should install in advance. Korean Air will continue to collaborate with IATA to ensure a smooth implementation of Travel Pass, while preventing the spread of the pandemic through their “CARE FIRST” protocols which include frequent and thorough aircraft disinfection, fever checks, and reduced contact between guests and team members.

Source: Korean Air