America’s airlines, along with their unions, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and more, have asked Pres. Biden to work with them on a temporary Covid-19 health credential that would show show vaccinations or negative tests.
Their call, mirroring industry efforts and plans underway in Europe, are aimed at making travelers feel more secure and therefor more willing to travel; the airlines are still losing $150 million a day despite some revival in their business. They are particularly interested in the idea in hopes that it could help revive international travel—the most lucrative and the most heavily-affected segment of the industry.
The groups, which include Airlines for America and the U.S. Travel Association, want Biden to involve the Centers for Disease Control in the effort to assure that any credential has credibility and is based on legitimate data. The groups added the credentials could “encourage more widespread adoption of processes to verify testing and vaccination records, from sports arenas to restaurants, business meetings, theme parks, and more.”
However, there has been no response from the White House. One wrinkle that may hurt the proposal’s chances is CDC’s continuing strong stand against non-essential travel; the agency is unlikely to be a willing partner in a scheme to restart vacations. On the other hand, the airlines will argue that travel is happening and accelerating and that the credential could make it safer.
