Ifah SakinahCathay Pacific successfully conducted two live flight trials using CommonPass app earlier this month. It involved volunteer customers travelling between Hong Kong and Singapore and was done in collaboration with The Commons Project and the Airport Authority Hong Kong.
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What is the CommonPass app?
Image credit: CommonPass Official Website
Developed by The Commons Project, CommonPass is a digital health app that enables users to present proof that they are vaccinated and have tested negative for COVID-19. They can access vaccination records and lab results at the touch of a button.
Additionally, CommonPass analyses whether their lab test results or vaccination record derives from a trusted source, and satisfies the health screening requirements of the country or state they want to enter. They can then retrieve their health status in two simple ways. All that is done while ensuring their personal health information remains private.
Cathay Pacific tests CommonPass app
Image credit: Cathay Pacific Official Website
During the Cathay Pacific live flight trials, volunteer customers successfully created digital health passes using the CommonPass app. The platform corroborated customers’ personal vaccination and/or pre-departure COVID-19 PCR test records against the travel requirements as per their itineraries. It then produced a digital health pass that indicated their eligibility to travel.
Those who departed from Hong Kong to Singapore on 6 July used the Hong Kong SAR Government’s vaccine code (generated using the iAM Smart app). On the other hand, those who departed from Singapore to Hong Kong on 15 July used Singapore’s HealthCerts PCR test result.
Initial customer feedback
Image credit: Cathay Pacific Official Facebook Page
Customers made positive comments regarding the CommonPass app during the trials. A majority of them appreciated how easy it was to install and use the app and said that they would be willing to utilise digital health passes in the time to come.
Use of digital health passes
General Manager Customer Experience and Design Vivian Lo said: “We have been continuously striving to provide a seamless experience for our customers while they are travelling in a complex world of border-entry requirements and health certifications.
“These trials will pave the way for the reopening of our international flight routes, while the collaboration with our trial partners has enabled us to demonstrate to our industry peers and the border authorities the functionality of digital health passes using testing and vaccination records authorised by the authorities,” she added.
The Commons Project Executive Chairman Jennifer Zhu Scott said: “Vaccination records have become critical to safely reopening international travel. As our trusted partner from day one, Cathay Pacific has once again been a pioneer by being the first airline to successfully complete two-way trials during which customers used CommonPass to generate a digital health pass with their testing and vaccination records from local official registries.
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Would you be willing to try out this digital health app? Let us know in the comments section!
Information extracted from a press release issued by Cathay Pacific.
