Sarah Jane Lee
Image credit: FlyScoot Official Facebook Page
Scoot Singapore is the final airline to trial their online portal and digital verification of COVID-19 test results, with news of plans to reopen borders surfacing in recent weeks. They have also rolled out an online portal that lets travellers departing on flights from Singapore, Indonesia and Hong Kong to pre-book their COVID-19 tests. This will bring greater convenience to them as they make preparations to travel abroad.
Scoot has caught up with its parent carrier, Singapore Airlines, which has already begun its trialling for both initiatives.
Also read: Singapore Airlines (SIA) to Become First Airline to Test IATA Travel Pass This Month
Online portal to book and check COVID-19 results
Users can access this online portal, which links customers to accredited partner clinics for the COVID-19 tests, via the Scoot website or mobile app. In addition, the portal will allow them to pay for their tests and receive a digital certificate within 36 hours.
These COVID-19 test results obtained from the portal will have QR codes, which are subsequently verified by Temasek-founded app Affinidi. Not only will the check-in process be smoother, but check-in-agents can also ensure the authenticity of said codes. Overall, this contributes to an efficient check-in process for travellers.
Already trialled for six flights in the past week
Scoot shared that it has trialled this digital verification process for six flights in the past week, including flights to Penang and Bangkok. Inbound flights from Penang and Surabaya have also taken to this digital verification process.
Moving forward to travel in the future
Aviation analyst Shukor Yusof states that verifying a traveller’s health records is essential for airlines, coupled with plans to recover from the brunt of COVID-19. However, he feels that establishing an overarching method to verify and safeguard countries should be the way to move forward. This is to avoid any potential mistrust or misunderstandings that may surface in verification processes.
Now that all of Singapore’s carriers have jumped onto the bandwagon, digital verification will become the new normal when travelling. Hopefully, Scoot Singapore online portal will ease the strain on travellers looking to ensure their safety when crossing international borders.
