United Airlines today announced that its Travel-Ready Center is offering Apple Health app integration to make it easier for customers to share their verified vaccination records ahead of traveling.
Apple in iOS 15 added a feature that lets iPhone owners add their SMART Health Card formatted vaccination records to the Apple Health app, with those records able to be used for vaccine verification purposes. Apple also introduced new Health Record sharing features, which United is taking advantage of.
United Airlines customers who have installed iOS 15 and who have uploaded their vaccination records to Apple Health can connect the Health app to United's Travel-Ready Center to be instantly reviewed on United's platform.
The integration is designed to help customers quickly confirm they've met the vaccination requirements for their travel plans. Air travel within the United States does not require flyers to be vaccinated, but other countries like the UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, and Spain do require vaccine verification and/or negative COVID-19 test results from travelers.
According to United, customers with upcoming travel plans that require proof of vaccination can visit the Travel-Ready Center in United's iOS app. From there, tapping on the option to upload vaccine documentation will show the "Share Your Smart Health Card" option.
Tapping on that will open up the Apple Health app where Apple will ask for permission to share their verifiable vaccination record with United. Once confirmed, the vaccination records are automatically uploaded and verified on United's system. Records are stored until travel is completed.
In the iOS 15.1 beta, Apple has also added a feature that lets the vaccination record from the Health app be added to the Wallet app in a quick access format that can be presented in restaurants, stores, concerts, and other venues that require proof of vaccination.
