On Wednesday November 17th, British Airways and American Airlines announced that business travelers who book premium seats between the United States and the UK, departing from either country, will be offered free rapid Covid-19 tests. The offer is part of a collaboration with American Express Global Business Travel (GBT) and global COVID-19 testing provider Qured. The booking has to be done through GBT will be eligible to receive the kits.
Results from Qured test kits are ready within 20 minutes of swabbing, and electronic verified results are shared with the patient 2 hours after their remote consultation. The customer can download a “fit to fly” certificate if the test is negative, which can be shown at the airport during check-in or uploaded through VeriFLY, the app by mobile health provider Daon, for easy travel.
We’re eager to give our mutual customers peace of mind that they will have what they need to fulfill an important requirement as they return to conducting business
Mark Muren, Head of Global Sales at British Airways
Routes between the United States and the United Kingdom are key to business travel. In 2019, hundreds of thousands of air segments between the United Kingdom and the United States were booked. As international travel has reopened, these flights have been increasingly popular for both American Airlines and British Airways. Since the United States announced the reopening of international travel, transatlantic bookings with GBT have increased more than 70%.
According to aviation data firm OAG, before the pandemic British Airways was operating the world’s only billion dollar airline route between New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport and London Heathrow. A clear sign that transatlantic routes are profitable to airlines.
By providing every premium customer traveling for business on a flight ticketed with American Airlines or British Airways with access to a test kit as part of the travel booking, we’re streamlining one critical step to making sure today’s business leaders can return to the skies
Andrew Crawley, Chief Commercial Officer at GBT
For the last several months, American Airlines and British Airways have helped customers easily access reliable Covid-19 test kits through Qured, a global provider of antigen tests approved by both the U.K. and U.S. governments. To connect premium customers with access to complimentary Covid-19 testing kits, GBT will provide qualified travelers with a unique promotional code after travel is ticketed.
Travelers will use the code to order from the Qured website, and kits will be delivered to the traveler at the location(s) specified based on their itinerary. Eligible customers can begin ordering testing kits in 2022 for travel through the end of the year. Travelers can easily complete the test remotely through a supervised video call scheduled with and administered by a professional health advisor.
We’ve helped more than half a million customers return to international travel over the course of the pandemic. We’re inspired to be part of reopening international business travel and to be helping people reconnect around the world
Alex Templeton, Chief Executive Officer at Qured
More than 3 million customers have used the app for travel with American Airlines and British Airways.
