'Vaccine passports' may be required for traveling in the future

Encouraging news about COVID-19 vaccines has given the beleaguered airline industry hope that travelers will take to the skies again in large numbers. But some airline carriers may require passengers to prove they’ve been vaccinated before getting on board.

“I have a yellow fever vaccine in my passport,” The Points Guy founder and CEO Brian Kelly told Yahoo Finance Live. “So whenever I go to certain countries in Africa, I have to show it to get in. I anticipate countries that have done a really good job at minimizing the virus like Australia and New Zealand are going to require that to enter, you need to show proof of being vaccinated.”

Australia, South Korea and New Zealand have all managed to minimize the spread of the virus, in large part because they’ve been successful in keeping infectious people out.

Alan Joyce, CEO of Australia’s largest airline, Qantas (QAN.AX), has already said his carrier will likely require passengers to get vaccinated before they can travel abroad or land in Australia. Joyce said the airline is looking at ways to electronically verify that people have the necessary vaccine for their intended destination.

A Qantas Airbus A380 arrives at Southern California Logistics Airport in Victorville, Calif. (AP Photo/Matt Hartman, File)

Air New Zealand (AIR.NZ) and Korean Air have also said there’s a real possibility that they’ll require “immunity passports.”

But it’s not something these airlines expect to independently decide. “Ultimately, it’s up to governments to determine when and how it is safe to reopen borders and we continue to work closely with authorities on this,” Air New Zealand said in a statement.

Widespread vaccinations are not expected to happen until at least the spring. That’s precious time that the struggling airlines can’t afford to sacrifice.

American Airlines (AAL) and United Airlines (UAL) started furloughing more than 30,000 workers combined in October after the terms of federal payroll support expired. Southwest Airlines (LUV) warned this month it could furlough at least 6,800 employees to cut costs. They would be the Dallas-based airlines first involuntary furloughs in its nearly 50 years of flying.

Kelly says while the industry waits for a vaccine, airlines must rely on the next best thing — testing.

“United Airlines has a new program on some London flights where everyone on board has to take a rapid test that day,” said Kelly. “They're trialing these things to get around these two-week long quarantines, which effectively crush all tourism and business travel.”

United Airlines passengers walk past through the gate to board a flight to Hawaii at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, Oct. 15, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Vaccine passports pose all sorts of challenges from logistical questions — to privacy issues, but more studies are also needed to determine if getting vaccinated prevents a person from spreading the virus.

So far, vaccine trials have shown they’re good at preventing the illness, but can they stop someone from transmitting it? Outstanding questions like that have some saying talk of a vaccine passport is premature.

When asked if UK airlines will require vaccine passports, Cabinet Minister Michael Gove told the BBC, "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, that's not the plan."

Alexis Christoforous is an anchor and reporter for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter @AlexisTVNews.

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