United Airlines has launched the ‘Travel-Ready Center’, a digital solution designed to make flying in the time of Covid-19 travel restrictions a little simpler and less stressful. The centre is integrated into the airline’s mobile app and website, and enables customers to review relevant Covid-19 entry requirements, find local testing options and upload any required testing and vaccination records for domestic and international travel, all in one place, via the United mobile app or website.
“While pre-travel testing and documentation are key to safely reopening global travel, we know it can be confusing for customers when they’re preparing for a flight,” said Linda Jojo, United’s EVP for technology and its chief digital officer. “Our ‘Travel-Ready Center’ gives customers a personalised, step-by-step guide of what is needed for their trip, a simple way to upload required documents and quickly get their boarding pass, fully integrated within our app and website.”
In the weeks and months ahead, United intends to add more features to the platform to make navigating evolving entry requirements even easier. For example, United customers will soon be able to:
• Schedule a Covid-19 test at one of more than 15,000 testing sites around the world, via the app or website
• Access the recently launched ‘Agent on Demand’, a United-exclusive feature that gives customers the ability to video chat live with a customer service agent to answer any questions about pre-travel requirements or documentation
• View details about visa requirements for the countries they plan to visit
How it works:
Customers with an active reservation can access the Travel-Ready Center through the ‘My Trips’ section of the United App and on united.com. They are then provided with tailored details on requirements for all travellers 18 and older on a customer’s itinerary, with status indicators noting if they are ready to travel, based on the specific requirements each individual needs to meet in order to board their flight, including any additional requirements for connecting flights.
Documents uploaded by a passenger will be reviewed by designated personnel for verification. The individual status indicators for each passenger will then note whether they are “travel ready” and they will be allowed to complete the check-in process. Customers should still plan to bring the physical documents to the airport in case further inspection is needed along their journey.
