UPFRONT
Accor to introduce digital room keys ACCOR HAS ANNOUNCED PLANS
ETIHAD IN CREW VACCINATION FIRST
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ETIHAD AIRWAYS HAS BECOME the first airline in the world to operate all flights with pilots and cabin crew vaccinated against COVID-19. The airline started its workforce vaccination programme in collaboration with Abu Dhabi authorities last year, prioritising frontline workers first, and has now revealed that more than 75 per cent of its workforce have received at least one dose of the vaccine. “We proactively made the vaccine available to all our employees to not only help combat the effects of COVID-19, but to make travellers feel confident and reassured the next time they fly with us,” said Tony Douglas, Group CEO of Etihad Aviation Group. “We are the only airline in the world to make COVID-19 testing mandatory for every passenger and crew member before every flight and now, we’re the first airline in the world with 100 per cent vaccinated crew on board.”
to phase-in new digital room-key technology. The group has been piloting the Accor Key solution at selected properties in North America, Europe and Asia, enabling guests to receive their room key through the Accor digital-key app when arriving at their hotel. The key also provides access to meeting rooms where appropriate, as well as to hotel floors via lifts, and is deactivated automatically when the guest departs. Accor has said the service will be available at all new Accor hotels opening this year, with a goal of 500 properties by the end of 2021. This will be increased to at least 50 per cent of its portfolio within the next five years. Accor has partnered with cloud-based mobile key and access management tool, Stay My Way, whose founder, Faustino Fernandez, cited a recent Deloitte study stating: “Sixty per cent of travellers are more likely to stay at a hotel that allows contactless check in and the ability to use a smartphone as a room key – 16 per cent even say it’s a must have.”
Emirates rolls out touchless check-in kiosks
Health pass plus ETIHAD IS ALSO WORKING with several organisations to help passengers easily and securely manage their travel in line with government requirements for COVID-19 tests or vaccines, including MedAire/ AOKPass and TE FOOD/GE Digital. Following the success of an initial pilot in September 2020 to digitalise pre-departure COVID-19 test results, a world-first for the air travel industry, Etihad passengers can now use health passports from destinations including London, Paris, and Amsterdam and soon, from its Abu Dhabi hub. It is also one of the first airlines globally to work with IATA as a pioneer partner for the IATA Travel Pass, already applicable to selected flights from Abu Dhabi (see page 28). “The development of health passes are new to the airline industry and COVID-19 tests and vaccinations will be key to get the world flying again,” said Mohammad Al Bulooki, Chief Operating Officer, Etihad Aviation Group.
MARCH 2021
EMIRATES HAS INTRODUCED touchless check-in kiosks at Dubai International (DXB). The airline launched 16 self-check-in and 32 self-service bag drop kiosks last year, but has now gone a step further, allowing passengers to control the machines from their mobile devices. Customers can check in, receive their boarding pass, choose seats on board, drop off their bags and make payments for extra purchases such as additional baggage allowance, via the kiosk. Located at the Economy check-in area at Terminal 3, the kiosks can be used by customers travelling to all destinations except the US, Canada, China, India and Hong Kong.
