It is the obsession of airlines this summer. Endless queues that get longer at airports and cause significant delays in boarding. To deal with this thrombosis of air terminals and, at the same time, “Reduce the stress of its customers”, Air France launched on Saturday July 17 a new free service called “Ready to fly”. It allows future passengers to check beforehand whether they are in possession of all the health documents required to make their trip. A list which can be long and vary according to the country of destination.
Three days before the flight, Air France sends each passenger an email with access to a platform to which “ he must transmit, as appropriate, the health documents necessary for his trip. The QR code of their European health pass [disponible dans l’application TousAntiCovid pour les Français] or, for non-Europeans, a photo of a negative PCR test or proof of vaccination “, explains Guy Zacklad, director of the Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle hub.
Once uploaded to the platform, documents are verified “Either by Air France agents or by security subcontractors” who usually work with the company, says Zacklad. This step taken, “The data is deleted”, he assures. If the passenger has provided all the required papers, his boarding card will then bear the mention “Ready to fly”, a key which will prevent him from having to check his health pass at the airport.
Speed up the journey of travelers to the airport
It is the obligation, for airlines, “To ensure that all passengers have the documents requested by the country of destination” which is at the origin of “Ready to fly”, underlines Mr. Zacklad. Air France also sees this new service as a chance to speed up the journey for travelers to the airport, as manual boarding controls take a long time – one minute for each of the 470 passengers on an Air Boeing 777. France for overseas. And yet, she is one of the fastest. Conversely, much more finicky, the American United Airlines would take, to the chagrin of Groupe ADP, manager of Roissy and Orly, “About ten minutes per passenger”.
Air France has decided to launch “Ready to fly” as a first step on its flights to Corsica and overseas (Antilles, Guyana and Reunion)
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