As travel restrictions are constantly changing, and the checking of the necessary health documents is resulting in long waiting times at airports, Brussels Airlines has announced it will allow its passengers to verify their papers at home.
The colour codes of many holiday destinations within the European Union are regularly being updated on the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) travel map, which can result in travel requirements suddenly changing, and can make travelling more complicated.
"The document checks currently performed at the different airports are causing enormous complexity for both customers and airline staff," the airlines stated in a press release on Tuesday.
"That is why the airline offers the possibility to verify travel documents at home instead of the airport. That way, travellers can avoid long waiting times at the airport check-in counters," it added.
How does the system work?
As of Wednesday 18 August, all people travelling to France, Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece can have their necessary health documents checked remotely.
"Guests eligible for the document check at home will receive an invitation to upload their documents through notification emails sent 6, 3 and 1 days before departure," the press release stated.
Once the documents are uploaded, an encrypted email will be sent to a Lufthansa Group service centre, where the submitted documents are checked.
If the documents are approved, passengers will receive a confirmation email and can then check in online. They will be contacted by the service centre if documents are missing or the uploaded documents do not conform to the rules.
The airline previously organised a test phase for the system on flights to and from Spain starting on 11 August.
Depending on the capacity of the service centre, other destinations may be added in the future.
The airline has also launched an interactive map to help travellers find all relevant information and an overview of the documents they need to carry along while travelling depending on their destination.
