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US airlines to start collecting contact tracing data for international passengers
US airlines will start to collate contact tracing data from passengers on international flights.
Airlines including Delta Alaska, JetBlue, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines have agreed with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to pass on customer information to help speed up contract tracing.
It is a voluntary scheme and only affects passengers on international flights.
It is ‘an additional layer of protection for the traveling public’ says trade group Airlines for America.
A similar plan was proposed in the early days of the pandemic last year but was eventually scrapped due to privacy concerns.
The data collected will include names, phone numbers, destination addressses and email.
Airlines for America did not say how the data will be stored.
Airlines have agreed to collect the data in a bid to help ease travel restrictions.
"We are hopeful that this measure, coupled with existing testing requirements for passengers flying to the U.S., will lead policymakers to lift travel restrictions so that international travel can resume," said A4A President Nicholas E. Calio.
Delta and United set up their own voluntary passenger data collection schemes late last year.
Written by Ray Montgomery, US Editor
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TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
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