South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Airlines pushing for tests over quarantines
Travel experts call for rapid, scalable checks for flyers
FRANKFURT, Germany — What will it take to get people flying again? International air traffic is down
92% this year as travelers worry about catching
COVID-19 and government travel bans and quarantine rules make planning difficult. One thing airlines believe could help is to have rapid virus tests of all passengers before departure.
Scattered experiments on improving safety are underway around the world, and aUNorganization is leading talks to set guidelines. There is a lot at stake. With no end in sight to the pandemic, the near total halt to international travel will hinder economies as they try to bounce back fromrecession and return to normal levels of business activity.
Here’s a look at some of the key issues.
Why is the focus on testing?
One major factor keeping people fromtaking long-haul flights is the fear theywill be seated next to someone withCOVID-19, according to a survey by the International Air Transport Association. While flying helped carry the virus around theworld initially, airplanes themselves have so far not been proven to be superspreader locations theway business conferences and meat-packing plants have been.
Most people are also reluctant to fly into a quarantine that restricts their activities for up to two weeks after arrival. Quarantines themselves aren’t perfect in terms of stopping the virus fromspreading, as in some cases they’re not strictly enforced.
“Testing all passengers will give people back their freedom to travel with confidence. And that will put millions of people back towork,” says Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s director general and CEO.
How would testing work?
Initial trials focus on testing passengers before departure, either at the airport or remotely. Information about the test result could be documented through a smartphone app. Newer tests can give results in less than an hour.
What do health authorities say?
They are open to the idea but are still assessing how effective itwould be.
TheU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that testing technology, capacity and access to testing is improving. It added that “efforts are currently ongoing internationally to assess the risk reduction, determine what a feasible testing regime for air travel may look like, and gain some level of agreement on standards for a harmonized approach to testing globally in air transportation.”
Who’s going to decide this?
The IATA is calling for rapid, accurate and scalable testing for all passengers. After airline executives appealed for help on this fromthe EuropeanUnion and the WhiteHouse’s COVID-19 task force, the issue appears to have moved to aUnitedNations forum, the International Civil Aviation Organization based inMontreal.
The ICAOisworking on guidelines based on scientific advice that countries could use in establishing testing regimes. The issue is on the agenda for an Oct. 29 meeting, but that’s not a guarantee that guidelines will be approved.
What trials are under way?
Various forms of testing have been tried forweeks in different places. What airlineswant is a largerscale international approach.
For instance, China requires a time-consuming negative polymerase chain reaction test before departure. At Frankfurt’s international airport, diagnostics firm Centogene has been offering tests to nonsymptomatic people for $69 for a result within 12 hours. A doctor’s certificate— for an extra fee— can help avoid quarantine restrictions.
The Switzerland-based Commons Project Foundation and theWorld Economic Forum are holding trials this month for CommonPass, a digital health pass that lets travelers securely document compliance with COVID-19 test requirements through aQR code on their smartphones or on paper. The idea is to get around the problems posed by printed test results, which may be from unfamiliar labs or in a language that those inspecting them don’t know.
Cathay Pacific has trialled CommonPass with volunteers on aHong Kong-Singapore flight and United Airlines will test it between London HeathrowandNewark Liberty International. The CDC’sMartin S. Cetron, head of the global migration and quarantine division, says it is “eager to learn” from the trials and that CommonPass “could be one of the many potential tools.” CommonPass could be adopted by individual countries, without waiting for international agreements.
What’s the holdup?
There are a lot ofmoving parts to any testing regime. First off, the test must be accurate, fast and cheap enough to deploy on a large scale. Governments must agree to accept the results; while governments are represented in the ICAO, the organization’s guidelines will not be mandatory. There has to be away of certifying the result, while at the same time protecting privacy of passenger medical information, and a procedure for handling people who test positive.
Scientistswarn there are concerns about the accuracy of some rapid tests. People can test negative for a couple of days after being infected. People can be infectious before they show symptoms, and these people may also test negative.
Is testing the only solution?
The International Air Transport Association advocates a layered approach. In addition to testing, that means: social distancing at the airport, touchless check-in, wearing masks in flight, and limiting passengermovement in the cabin.
In a survey published in May, consulting firmMcKinsey asked 40 corporate travel planners whatwould give them the confidence to book travel. Seventy-five percent said theywould want a vaccine, while 39% said testing. McKinsey said business travel spending exceeded $1.4 trillion in
2018, or 21% of the global travel and hospitality sector. Business travelers drive
55% to 75% of the profit at top airlines— even though they make up less than 10% of passengers.