NEW YORK – JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) and The Commons Project Foundation, in partnership with the government of Aruba and COVID testing companies Vault and XpresCheck, today announced they have launched the use of the CommonPass platform, allowing JetBlue customers traveling from Boston’s Logan International Airport to Aruba’s Queen Beatrix International Airport to enter the nation using the CommonPass digital health pass. The CommonPass platform enables safer travel and easy entry as travelers can simply scan their passports to verify that they meet entry requirements into Aruba.
The first flight for eligible customers landed Tuesday in Aruba and will continue for all JetBlue flights from Boston to the island destination. The airline and its partners plan in the coming weeks to expand the use of CommonPass for customers traveling to Aruba from cities throughout JetBlue’s network.
Aruba requires that arriving passengers test negative for COVID-19 either within 72 hours of or upon arrival. Boston customers who utilize JetBlue’s testing partners, Vault for supervised at-home PCR tests or XpresCheck for in-person testing, are now able to streamline the arrival process in Aruba by downloading the CommonPass app in advance of their flight. Upon arrival, CommonPass users will have access to dedicated CommonPass immigration lanes to start their vacation sooner. More testing facilities are expected to be added to the CommonPass platform in the coming weeks and months.
“CommonPass and the CommonTrust Network provide passengers, airlines and governments with a trusted system to digitally verify that an international traveler meets entry requirements upon arrival,” said Paul Meyer, CEO, The Commons Project Foundation. “Our registry of health data sources — information from labs, pharmacies, hospitals and health departments — is essential to giving the public the confidence to once again travel, attend events and enjoy activities they did prior to COVID-19.”
The companies announced the partnership late last year. With CommonPass, JetBlue customers can more easily comply with Aruba’s enhanced entry protocols, enabling arriving residents and visitors who have tested negative for COVID-19 to digitally verify their health status, and for visitors to begin their vacation worry-free.
The CommonPass platform lets individuals collect their lab results and vaccination records from health data sources in the CommonTrust Network and demonstrate in a privacy-preserving manner that those records satisfy the health screening requirements of their destinations. CommonPass is being deployed with leading global airlines, while Aruba becomes the first government to adopt the platform to streamline entry into the nation. CommonPass leverages the open, interoperable SMART Health Cards standard being developed under the Vaccination Credential Initiative and is being adopted across the US healthcare ecosystem.
“As one of the first airlines in the world to partner with CommonPass and the CommonTrust Network, we are excited to again lead the way in providing another layer of safety to air travel in the United States and around the world,” said Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer, JetBlue. “Our partners in the Aruban government and the Aruba Tourism Authority have a long history of promoting seamless travel to Aruba, and by using digital health passes to verify that a customer meets entry requirements upon arrival, JetBlue, CommonPass, and Aruba are leveraging leading edge technology to restore both customer confidence and air travel. JetBlue customers traveling to Aruba will enjoy an expedited way to enter the country on arrival, while also having peace of mind that they safely meet Aruba’s entry criteria.”
“Aruba is thrilled to offer Boston, one of our premier markets, the first CommonPass flights to our One happy island,” said Dangui Oduber, Aruba’s Minister of Health, Tourism and Sport. “CommonPass travelers departing from Boston’s Logan International Airport will now arrive in Aruba via the most seamless entry way possible, ensuring their vacation starts the moment they land.”
“Vault’s saliva test has helped thousands of travelers safely get to their destinations during the pandemic through our partnerships with airlines, countries, and states,” said Vault Health Founder & CEO Jason Feldman. “Careful testing is a key to helping people move forward with the vacations and adventures they’ve missed over the past year. We are pleased to continue our partnership with CommonPass, JetBlue, and Aruba to streamline testing for travel, especially internationally. Vault’s test is convenient, quick, and provides accurate results to help keep travelers and residents safe.”
“XpresCheck is uniquely positioned to help open up travel from Boston to Aruba in partnership with CommonPass and JetBlue with on-site airport COVID testing at Boston Logan International Airport,” said Doug Satzman, CEO of XpresSpa Group. “This innovative technology enables a traveler to get tested at the airport before departure with a seamless integration into the CommonPass app, which can reduce time and stress for travelers while increasing safety for the entire flight.”
Easy Steps to Enter Aruba
CommonPass is a digital health app that enables travelers to present standardized, verifiable proof that they have tested negative for COVID-19. The process works like this:
1) Prior to their flight, travelers download the CommonPass app.
2) As part of the partnership with Vault and XpresCheck, travelers can be tested for COVID-19 from home or at the airport.
3) Once tested for COVID-19 and prior to their flight, travelers enter an invitation code into the CommonPass app and upload their COVID-19 test results into CommonPass.
4) All visitors to Aruba must fill out an online ED Card, which includes results of their negative PCR-based molecular COVID-19 test. CommonPass users are able to add their pass ID to pre-verify with Aruba that they are cleared to travel.
5) Upon arrival in Aruba, CommonPass users will have access to dedicated CommonPass immigration lanes to start their vacation sooner.
