Ticket? Passport? Add a Covid vaccination card to the list of travel documents you must have

All over the US, domestic travel is picking up again amid stabilizing or declining Covid-19 cases and relatively rapid vaccination urge. That revival is not yet visible in international travel, where a patchwork of travel bans, quarantine regulations and testing requirements have hampered cross-border flights.

According to aviation analysis company Cirium, US domestic carriers have increased planned capacity by more than 50% between September and March. The worldwide capacity on all international routes has meanwhile increased slightly more than 7%.

British Airways, Ryanair and other airlines dependent on international travel hope to boost ticket sales by capitalizing on the emerging optimism about vaccinations. The move isn’t quite the kind of vaccination passport some governments and international agencies are considering creating to help unlock pandemic-affected economies. Countries have considered documents that allow vaccinated residents to visit bars and restaurants, or go to the office or a sporting event.

Instead, it is a more modest attempt to make storing and displaying vaccination and Covid-19 test records easier for passengers considering taking advantage of the early welcome of vaccinated travelers in some countries. The goal is to make the transition to post-pandemic flying as easy as possible, by minimizing the fear of being denied entry at the border and limiting the amount of time a passenger needs to check-in at the airport.

British Airways is also moving at a time when its home market, the UK, is benefiting from one of the world’s fastest vaccine rollouts. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month drew up plans that could lead to a monthly ban on travel abroad being lifted in May. Airlines reported an increase in bookings after Mr. Johnson. TUI AG

, the largest tour operator in Europe, reported a 500% increase week-on-week in bookings for travel to Turkey, Greece and Spain.

Cyprus and Greece, which have intermittently closed their borders to most tourists, have said they would welcome UK visitors without restrictions if they can prove they received their two-dose vaccination. Both will reopen to British visitors in early and mid-May, respectively. In Iceland, the government allows incoming vaccinated travelers to bypass the Covid-19 health screening protocols.

China said Tuesday it is relaxing travel restrictions for vaccinated foreigners. Chinese embassies in the US, Italy, India, the Philippines and other locations plan to offer “visa facilitation” to foreign applicants who can provide proof of vaccination. Travelers are still being subjected to a negative Covid-19 test and quarantine, and there’s another catch: the only vaccination eligible is China’s. These are difficult to find in many parts of the West.

As part of its plan to facilitate travel after a pandemic, British Airways – the largest airline owned by the International Consolidated Airlines Group TO

—Will allow passengers to upload proof of vaccinations and negative Covid-19 tests when making a booking on its website. By viewing the health documentation uploaded by passengers, British Airways can verify that passenger documents are in order, just as airlines already do for various traveler visa requirements.

The first flights for which data can be submitted are those from London to India. India does not require a vaccine for travel, but it does require proof of a negative Covid-19 test.

“We are preparing for a meaningful return to international travel in the coming months,” said Sean Doyle, British Airways Chief Executive. “This means that we must do everything we can to simplify the journey for our customers.”

Ryanair, Europe’s largest in terms of traffic, has developed a similar ‘travel wallet’ tool on its website and mobile app. It said it is gearing up for a surge in pent-up demand in May and June, once higher-risk populations in Europe are vaccinated.

“Many Ryanair customers are going on vacation for the first time in more than a year and are adhering to the new travel guidelines,” said Dara Brady, Ryanair’s chief of marketing. The travel wallet allows passengers to store all of their Covid documents “in one location without any hassle or paperwork”.

As vaccination programs around the world accelerate, airlines are testing a number of other ways to make it easier for passengers to navigate various international Covid-19 health regimes. Carriers including Singapore Airlines Ltd.

, Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways are teaming up with the International Air Transport Association, an airline trade association, to test a so-called Travel Pass system. The system, which includes a mobile app, is intended to allow passengers to demonstrate vaccination and testing records for Covid-19, while also enabling testing and vaccination requirements for various locations and local testing centers that can be accessed while traveling. be determined.

US airlines are also using new apps to help passengers keep track of various travel requirements and upload test results – systems that can eventually be used for vaccine registration.

Israel, which is ahead of most countries in terms of vaccination, has introduced a vaccination passport that allows citizens to verify their vaccinations to visit hotels and gyms, a measure that the UK government has said it is currently investigating. Israel’s borders are still effectively closed to foreign visitors.

The European Union plans to unveil later Wednesday a “digital green pass” for EU citizens that records Covid-19 test results and vaccines to enable travel within the EU for both work and tourism. Governments along the Mediterranean are pushing for the measure to take effect in time to avoid a second lost summer season for their battered tourism industry.

—Alison Sider in Chicago contributed to this article.

Write to Benjamin Katz at [email protected]