I recently took my first international trip of 2021 with American Airlines and used the VeriFLY app. In this post, I’ll explain what the VeriFLY app is and how to use it.
What is the VeriFLY App
VeriFLY is an app that collects your travel documents, verifies it, and allows for a seamless check-in process at the airport. In my case, the app was used to verify my Covid-19 test needed to return to the US.
I was able to fill out my information in the app, upload my Covid-19 test result, and had it verified before getting to the airport. All I had to do at check-in was to show the agent my passport along with my digital pass on the app, and I was good to go.
The alternative would have been to hand the agent all this paperwork and then needing them to verify it on the spot. I had noticed the stack of papers that the agent had to keep up with, and she seemed relief to see me showing her my digital pass directly from my phone.
Which Airline Uses VeriFLY
VeriFLY isn’t widely used by all airlines yet, and I don’t know if it will be. You’ll get an email from your airline to encourage you to use the app if you’re flying an airline that is eligible for VeriFLY. So far, the only airlines using VeriFLY are: American Airlines, British Airways, Alaska Airlines, Aer Lingus, Iberia Airlines, and Japan Airlines. The other downside right now is that not all destinations are eligible. For my trip to Belize, I was only able to use it on my return flight back to Dallas and not on my outbound flight to Belize City.
How to use VeriFLY
Go to the app store on my phone, search for VeriFLY, and downloaded the app to my phone.
I opened the app and then accepted the Terms & Conditions to get started.
Enter in personal information
Then take a selfie by following the guidelines on the screen.
Once I submitted my selflie, the app will sent me a link to the email that I had placed on file to verify my account.
Now that my profile is complete, lets really get it started by clicking on “Go To My Passes.”
On the bottom right corner, click “Browse.”
Then I get to the screen with passes for all the countries that VeriFly is made available for. From there, click on the country you’re creating the pass for. In my case, it was “A Trip to the USA”
From there, click on “Add Pass” at the top right corner.
By choosing “A Trip to the USA,” this gets saved in “My Passes” folder/section of the app. When on this screen, click “A Trip to the USA” to get started.
Click the “Add Trip” bar
I then clicked “I Agree” to all the legal. There’s a few to agree to. If I don’t agree, then I’ll have to stop here.
Then enter in the flight details
Then I got to a checklist screen. This screen is specifically tailored to the documents required to enter into the country I’m going to. In my case, the USA is requiring a Covid-19 test and the Passenger Attestation form.
I clicked on Part 1 – “Covid-19 Test Review” and was able to take a picture of my test result and uploaded it to the app. On the next screen, it’s a manual verification by somebody on the app’s end. In my experience, it wasn’t instant and took about 6 hours, from the time I uploaded my test to the time I received an email from VeriFLY that the review of my test result had been completed. I submitted my test result in the app around 9pm and I received the email around 3am.
Once my Covid-19 test review was complete, I was then able to complete the Passenger Attestation portion. Keep in mind, the app will not let you do Part 2 without completing Part 1. Also note that while I had started the verification process with VeriFLY, American Airlines would not allow me to check-in for my flight until I had received my digital pass.
Then the last thing to go over is Part 3- “Before You Go to the Airport” and go through that checklist
Then once everything is complete, I got this screen. I would suggest saving a screenshot incase you can’t pull up the actual app at the airport. This is the digital pass I had shown the check-in agent at the airport.
At The Airport
My check-in process at the airport was pretty seamless and just took a few minutes. The gate agent seemed relieved that I had used the VeriFly app (less paperwork for her to keep track of). The lady in front of me, on the other hand, took awhile and there were some back and forth between her and the agent.
I was only the second person in the elite line at the American Airlines check-in desk at the airport, but there were a lot of people in the main cabin line. I would suggest getting to the airport early nowadays to check-in because of all the documentations that you’ll need to show the agent in order to travel during Covid-19 era.
Pain Points
Three people that I know had DM’ed me to share their experiences with VeriFly, but they didn’t have such an easy, seamless experience that I had.
I probably wouldn’t use VeriFly if I took my rapid test the day of travel because it does take some time for someone on the app’s end to verify the test results.
It’s also a bit nerve-wracking that American Airlines didn’t allow me to check-in while I had started the VeriFly process.
Last Thoughts
The VeriFLy app may not be for all (especially if your destination isn’t even supported on the app). Use your best judgements to decide if using this app is right for your travels.
Happy Travels!
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