The state of Hawaii will begin a pilot program with biometrics company Clear next week aimed at streamlining Hawaii entry.
The pilot will be the first deployment within the travel sector of the Clear virtual health passport. The app, called Health Pass, has been used by more than 35 organizations in other sectors, Clear says, including by MGM Resorts, the National Hockey League and the Orlando Magic.
The pilot begins on Feb. 18 on one daily flight on both Delta and United from Los Angeles to Honolulu. Participants will use Clear Health Pass to satisfy requirements of Hawaii's Safe Travels Program, under which flyers must show proof of a negative Covid-19 test from a state-approved testing entity within 72 hours of departing for the islands. Hawaii travelers who use Clear Health Pass will have access to more approved labs than those who do not.
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To participate in the pilot, flyers on those Los Angeles-Honolulu flights must download the free Clear app. After verifying their identity within Health Pass, users can get a test from any of the labs within Clear's approved nationwide network and have the results delivered directly to the app.
At the boarding gate, a Clear employee will scan each user's Health Pass app, as well as a QR code that has been generated, in order to validate that the person has satisfied Hawaii entry requirements. Travelers will then be provided a unique wristband verifying completion of Hawaii's Safe Travels requirements. They will then show the wristband upon arrival in Honolulu to expedite the entry process.
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"Safe travel is important for our residents and visitors, and this pilot program is another step forward in achieving this goal," Hawaii Gov. David Ige said in prepared remarks.
At least 15 companies have begun developing digital health passports, and some airlines have already adopted the technology or developed their own solutions. Among U.S. carriers, United, Alaska and American have deployed digital solutions to streamline testing validation and passenger processing on many international flights, including all inbound U.S. flights.
Those systems, however, require flyers to personally upload testing results, while Clear Health Pass provides for direct delivery to the app by testing centers.