Travel Week in Review – January 29, 2021

American Airlines this month will expand the availability of a mobile health passport app to cover all international travel, the carrier announced. For the past several months, American has made the VeriFly app, which lets travelers digitally store such health documentation as negative Covid-19 tests for quicker airport processing, available for travelers to select destinations. Read More…

Oakland International Airport on Wednesday became the first airport in the nation to begin selling COVID-19 tests from vending machines. The testing option may offer a bit of hope for an industry that has been trying to reinstall passenger confidence ever since the virus decimated travel. The take-home Saliva RT-PCT tests can be found at contactless kiosks located within both of the airport’s terminals. Read More…

United Airlines announced a pre-clearance program that allows passengers traveling to Hawaii to show proof of a negative test result at the departure airport.  The new program allows passengers to bypass document screening upon arrival in Hawaii. In order to participate in the program, travelers must enroll in Hawaii’s Safe Travels program, the state’s repository for health and travel information. Read More… 

Marriott International plans to open about 100 properties in the Asia-Pacific region in 2021 after 75 Marriott-branded hotels opened in the region in 2020, the company announced. The company surpassed 800 hotels in Asia-Pacific last year and added nearly 27,000 rooms to the region’s development pipeline. Read More…

One of the most comprehensive COVID-19 travel regulations is now in effect, nearly a year into the pandemic. All travelers—including citizens—entering the U.S. need a negative COVID test in order to board a flight from an international destination. The screening must be a viral test taken within three days of departure, according to the protocols put in place by the CDC. Read More…