Bracing for rebound! Here’s how Amadeus preps for next COVID surge

To prepare for a possible coming COVID surge, Amadeus has partnered with testFRWD, the Austrian startup providing AI-powered solutions for self-certifying COVID-19 tests. Amadeus will distribute testFRWD’s identyME self-testing solution through its channels, offering travellers an option to purchase a compatible test kit when they are booking their tickets.

After weathering months of decline, the travel industry, which saw its revenues battered by the pandemic, braces for a rebound in 2022. However, as the world re-emerges from lockdowns and COVID fatigue takes over, concerns over new COVID variants cast a shadow on the revival of travel. This makes rigorous, accessible, and easy testing a crucial precondition for any further global reopening.

Through its partnership with Amadeus, testFRWD brings its identyME self-testing certification system to millions of travellers booking their planes, train, and ferry tickets at companies using Amadeus’s solutions. The test kits, as well as all the necessary links and information, will be provided at the points of sale, providing for a seamless user experience.

Besides the convenience, the system also helps travel companies and authorities to streamline the health controls and works as a remedy for the problem of counterfeit kits and certificates. The identyME-compatible antigen test kits have been certified for EU’s official Green Pass and the UK’s FLY2FLY travel testing systems. identyME is available in 26 EU member states and is now also entering the U.S. market with the official launch in Maryland.

IdentyMe is a digital certification and verification platform for at-home COVID-19 test kits with a robust API that makes it easy to integrate with any applications, entry control systems, or health certificates. It relies on artificial intelligence and biometric data to identify the user as they utilize the test kit without the involvement of any medical staff and certify the result.

“The partnership with Amadeus marks a fundamental milestone for our expansion and market reach,” says Andrea Marazzi, COO of testFRWD. “We are proud to be joining forces with the travel tech giant to give consumers a chance to travel with minimal friction or extra expenses. With identyME, they can do their tests anywhere, at any moment and let our system handle the rest.”