Airline and business groups are calling on the Biden administration to develop temporary accreditations to allow passengers to show that they have been tested and vaccinated for COVID-19, a step that the airline will help revive travel.
Different groups and countries are working on the development of so-called vaccine passports designed to allow more travel. But airlines fear that a reduction in regional accreditation will cause confusion and none will be widely accepted.
“Uniform guidance is crucial,” and “the United States must be a leader in this development,” more than two dozen groups said Monday in a letter to White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients. However, the groups said vaccination should not be a requirement for domestic or international travel.
The groups include major US and international airline trade organizations, air unions and the US Chamber of Commerce. The White House did not comment immediately.
The World Health Organization and the United Nations Aviation Branch are working on the type of information that should be included in an accreditation. Air industry groups are particularly interested in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention taking a leadership role, believing that it would increase the certainty that accreditation information is legitimate.
The CDC issued new guidelines for fully vaccinated people on Monday, saying they can – without face masks – meet other vaccinated people and visit unvaccinated people in a single household that has a low risk of severe disease. However, the health agency still recommends that you do not travel.
“Every time there is an increase in the number of trips, we have an increase in the number of cases in this country,” said CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
Walensky noted that many variants of COVID-19 that are now spreading in the United States have begun in other countries. However, she offered the possibility that, with more data, the CDC would soon approve the travel of vaccinated people.
Airlines have been particularly affected by the pandemic. Despite a partial recovery, US airlines lose another $ 150 million a day, according to Airlines for America.
In the US, the number of people passing through airports remains down by almost 60% so far this year compared to 2019, the last normal, pre-pandemic year. Most of these people fly to the United States.
Airlines rely on large-scale vaccinations to increase travel and vaccine passports to boost highly profitable international flight.