ANA starts trial of COVID-19 status app at Tokyo airport
May 24, 2021 (Mainichi Japan)
A passenger, right, shows a smartphone to an All Nippon Airways ground staff member in a trial of the International Air Transport Association Travel Pass mobile app at Tokyo s Haneda airport on May 24, 2021. (Kyodo) TOKYO (Kyodo) A major Japanese airline on Monday started a trial of a mobile app developed by a global industry body to certify passengers coronavirus status as part of efforts to help the revival of international travel. All Nippon Airways Co. will trial the International Air Transport Association Travel Pass on ANA s flights connecting Tokyo with Honolulu and New York until June 6. The smartphone app shows travelers polymerase chain reaction test results currently a condition of entry to most countries and vaccination status.
Gourmet dishes such as Thai-fried rice with basil, pork cutlets smothered with a demiglace in a rice bowl, and stewed beef and rice omelet were designed to be eaten while flying over international datelines.
However, they have recently become go-to options for many people stuck at home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has crushed many a fantasy vacation.
As the airline industry struggles through its worst crisis ever, carriers are not the only air travel-related companies that have seen business sputter.
With international flights at airports across Japan suspended or reduced for more than a year now, airline catering services have scrambled to cope with a plunge in demand and are turning to this new market on the ground to survive.
While uncertainty remains over when or if travel demand will make a full-fledged recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, Japan s two major airlines are positioning themselves to take advantage of any upturn with a punt on low-cost services.