Beginning Feb. 26, on select, long-haul Lufthansa flights, travelers have the advance option to send their COVID-19 test certificates and digital entry application confirmations to a specially created Lufthansa Group Health Entry Support Center. This can be done as early as 72 hours before departure via a contact form. The routes that will initially execute this process are from Newark, New Jersey (USA) to Frankfurt and Munich, as well as from Frankfurt to Istanbul, Turkey. SWISS customers will be able to use this service on the Newark to Zurich, Switzerland route during March.
Passengers traveling on these flights will receive advance notification and a link to a portal where the relevant contact data and certificates can be stored. At the service center, the documents are checked. After the check, the customer receives a confirmation by e-mail as to whether the certificates meet the entry requirements or feedback if the documents are not sufficient. Either way, the original certificates must be carried throughout the trip.
This new offer provides Lufthansa and SWISS customers even more security while planning a trip. Another advantage is that check-in and boarding are also faster. With this service, the Lufthansa Group is taking an important step toward integrating COVID-19 test results into the digital travel chain, making travel easier in times of this pandemic. Depending on the findings of this initial offering, it is planned to enable test certificates for all flights. Digital health passports are also to be integrated into the travel chain in the future.
Furthermore, an obligation to wear a protective medical mask will apply on Lufthansa Group flights to and from Germany. Passengers are required to wear either a surgical mask, an FFP2 mask or mask with the KN95/N95 standard during boarding, while in-flight and when leaving the aircraft. Exemption from the obligation to wear a mouth-nose mask during the flight is only possible for medical reasons if the medical certificate is issued on a form provided by the Lufthansa Group and a negative COVID-19 test, not older than 48 hours at the scheduled start of the journey, is available.
In principle, infection on board is very unlikely. All Lufthansa Group aircraft are equipped with the highest quality air filters, which ensure an air quality similar to that in an operating room. Additionally, the air circulates vertically instead of being dispersed throughout the cabin.
