KLM plane in St. Maarten
AMSTELVEEN--Passengers travelling to St. Maarten and Curaçao on Royal Dutch Airlines KLM can now have the necessary coronavirus COVID-19 travel documents checked in advance. KLM’s COVID-19 check | Upload@Home is a new service to make customer’s travel less cumbersome.
Customers who have booked flights to St. Maarten and Curaçao receive an invitation to participate. They collect the required documents and upload them up to five hours before departure. They receive the result by e-mail, usually within an hour. The KLM personnel who carry out the checks are available between 6:00am and 10:00pm Central European Time (CET).
All customers who need coronavirus-related travel documents for their journey can collect their boarding pass and check luggage in at the check-in desk at the airport. If they have had their documents checked online in advance via Upload@Home, they only need to show their passport or ID card and any visa.
However, KLM recommends that they always bring paper copies of the required coronavirus-related documents with them to the airport, as customers may need to show them upon arrival at the destination.
KLM stated in a press release that it understands that travelling with all coronavirus-related requirements can be a challenge, especially because the rules differ per country and are subject change. Pre-validating the documents required by the destination via Upload@Home means that customers have the certainty in advance that their documentation is in order. Checking coronavirus documents in advance can also speed up the check-in process at the airport.
Participation in Upload@Home is free and on a voluntary basis. With this innovative digital self-service, KLM wants to help its customers as best possible with the complex entry rules of the destination country with regard to coronavirus travel documents.
The online check of coronavirus documents by KLM is now available for KLM flights to five destinations: Curaçao, Dubai, Lima, St. Maarten and Istanbul. This number is expected to be expanded in the near future.
“Travel is currently complicated because countries have different entry requirements, which can also change quickly. It is important for KLM to unburden our customers as much as possible. That is why KLM’s COVID-19 check | Upload@Home was conceived. This innovative service means that KLM customers can go to the airport with peace of mind because they know for sure that they have the necessary coronavirus travel documents in order,” said KLM Executive Vice President Customer Experience Boet Kreiken.
The Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA) responded enthusiastically to the news from KLM. “Several airlines are working on such an app. Initiatives are also being taken from the side of the International Air Transport Association (IATA). We support that,” said CHATA Director Maria-Helena Seferina-Rojas.
The CHATA director noted that it was most important for Curaçao to have its own app. The Curaçao Health App, which is being developed, and will be linked to the laboratories so the COVID-19 test results and vaccination certificates can be verified.
