The three global alliances that represent 58 major airlines and usually compete for passenger loyalty have joined together to demand that governments come up with a common set of guidelines for passenger testing and a ‘health pass’ plan to get airline traffic moving again.
SkyTeam, Star Alliance and Oneworld, as well as the broader International Air Transport Association, say that unpredictable quarantines, which may abruptly make travelers unable to return home, have disrupted the industry’s attempts at recovery, and that a plan that tested and certified travelers’ health would work better—and that requires agreement on rules and procedures.
In recent weeks, random airlines and airports have been offering testing and in some cases exemption from quarantine if tests show no infection. But since few of the programs have end-to-end coordination, they don’t have a big effect. And even programs such as Hawaii’s waiver of quarantine for passengers who test clear don’t work well on their own; the state requires a particular test from particular vendors, and has had to turn away arriving passengers with clearance on different tests.
