Ticket? Passport? Add a Covid Vaccination Card to your travel documents list

Across the U.S., domestic travel is on the rise again, amid the stabilization or fall of Covid-19 cases and a relatively rapid vaccination. This setback has not yet appeared in international travel, where a patchwork quilt of travel bans, quarantine rules and test requirements has stimulated cross-border flights.

US airlines have increased scheduled capacity by more than 50% between September and March, according to aviation research firm Cirium. Global capacity across all international routes has meanwhile increased by just over 7%.

British Airways, Ryanair and other airlines that depend on international travel are hoping to boost ticket sales by taking advantage of the burgeoning optimism about vaccinations. The move is not quite the kind of vaccination passport some governments and international agencies are considering creating to unlock pandemic-plagued economies. Lands missed documents that allowed the vaccinated residents to visit pubs and restaurants, or to the office or a sporting event.

Instead, it is a more modest effort to make the storage and display of vaccination and Covid-19 test records easier for passengers considering taking advantage of the early welcome of some countries as vaccinated travelers. The aim is to make the transition to flying to pandemic as easy as possible by limiting the fear of refusing access to the borders and limiting the amount of time a passenger needs to ring in at the airport.

British Airways is also moving at a time when its home market, the United Kingdom, is benefiting from one of the world’s fastest vaccination systems. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson last month outlined plans that could lead to the lifting of a month-long ban on overseas travel in May. Airline reported an increase in bookings after Mr. TUI AG

, the largest tour operator in Europe, booked a 500% week-to-week boost for travel to Turkey, Greece and Spain.

Cyprus and Greece, which have closed their borders at intervals for most tourists, have said they will start welcoming British visitors without restrictions if they can provide proof that they have received their two-dose vaccination. Both reopen for UK visitors from early and mid-May respectively. In Iceland, the government allows any incoming vaccinated traveler to bypass Covid-19 health examination protocols.

China on Tuesday said it was easing travel restrictions for vaccinated foreigners. Chinese embassies in the US, Italy, India, the Philippines and other locations plan to offer ‘visa facilitation’ to foreign applicants who can confirm that they have been vaccinated. Travelers are still subject to a negative Covid-19 test and quarantine, and there’s another catch: the only vaccine that qualifies is one made by China. It is hard to find in much of the West.

As part of its plan to facilitate the journey to pandemic, British Airways – the largest airline owned by International Consolidated Airlines Group SA

– will allow passengers to upload evidence of vaccination and negative Covid-19 tests when making a booking on its website. By reviewing the health documentation uploaded by passengers, British Airways can verify that the passenger’s documents are in order, just as airlines already do for different visa requirements for travelers.

The first flights for which data can be submitted are those from London to India. India does not need a vaccine to travel, but a negative Covid-19 test does.

“We are preparing for the meaningful return to international travel in the coming months,” said British Airways CEO Sean Doyle. “It means we must do everything in our power to simplify the journey for our customers.”

Ryanair, the largest in Europe, has developed a similar “travel wallet” tool on its website and mobile app. It is said to be ready for an increase in pent-up demand in May and June once higher-risk populations in Europe are vaccinated.

“Many Ryanair customers are taking their first holiday in more than a year, adhering to the new travel guidelines,” said Ryanair chief marketing officer Dara Brady. With the travel portfolio, passengers can “store all their Covid documents in one place with no hassle or paperwork to worry about.”

As vaccination programs around the world accelerate, airlines are testing a number of other ways to make it easier for passengers to navigate through various international Covid-19 health regimes. Carriers including Singapore Airlines Ltd.

, Emirates Airline and Qatar Airways are working with the International Air Transport Association, an airline trading body, to test a so-called Travel Pass system. The system, which includes a mobile app, is aimed at enabling passengers to demonstrate Covid-19 vaccination and test records, while also testing and vaccination requirements for different locations and local test centers accessible during travel be identified.

U.S. transportation companies have also turned to new programs to help passengers keep track of different travel requirements and upload test results – systems that could eventually be used for vaccine records.

Israel has done vaccinations before most countries, and has implemented a vaccine passport that allows citizens to verify their vaccinations to visit hotels and gyms, a measure the British government said is currently being investigated as well. Israel’s borders are still effectively closed to foreign visitors.

The European Union plans to launch a “digital green pass” for EU citizens later on Wednesday, reporting the Covid-19 test results and vaccinations to enable travel within the EU for work and tourism. Mediterranean governments are urging the measure to be taken in time to prevent a second lost summer season for their battered tourism industry.

—Alison Sider in Chicago contributed to this article.

Write to Benjamin Katz by [email protected]