AMSTERDAM, Dec 4 (Reuters) - KLM, the Dutch arm of Air
France-KLM, on Friday said it would begin offering
COVID-19 tested flights to Atlanta, the latest example of a
European airline adopting a testing strategy to increase
passenger confidence in flying amid the coronavirus pandemic.
The plans centre around the concept of conducting multiple
tests so that travellers can have more trust that the chances
they or others are carrying the virus during their voyage are
small.
Under the KLM plan, passengers receive one test five days
before their flight, another shortly before the flight, and a
third after landing.
"Only passengers with negative test results will be accepted
on-board," KLM said in a statement.
After testing negative again upon arrival at Amsterdam's
Schiphol airport, U.S. and European Union passengers travelling
from Atlanta will be able to skip a 5-day quarantine in the
Netherlands.
Alitalia announced a similar scheme for Rome to New York
flights earlier on Friday, and Delta last week introduced one
from Atlanta to Rome. Delta, Air France and Alitalia cooperate
under the "SkyTeam" airline alliance.
The KLM flights from Atlanta to Amsterdam will run four
times a week starting from Dec. 15, the company said, adding
that it intends to adopt the system more widely if it is
successful.
"Until an approved working vaccine is available worldwide,
this testing program represents the first step towards the
international travel industrys recovery," KLM CEO Pieter Elbers
said in a statement.
(Reporting by Toby Sterling, editing by Louise Heavens)