by Donald Wood
Last updated: 8:21 AM ET, Wed December 16, 2020
United Airlines announced a new program with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to collect customer contact information for all international and domestic flights.
The contact tracing initiative will ask United customers to voluntarily join the program and provide information such as an email address, phone numbers and an address of where they will be once they reach their destination.
The carrier's program is the industry's most comprehensive public health contact information collection program to date and will provide the CDC with details about travelers that were previously difficult to obtain in real-time.
"Contact tracing is a fundamental component of the nation's public health response strategy for controlling the spread of communicable diseases of public health concern," CDC Director Dr. Robert R. Redfield said. "Collection of contact information from air travelers will greatly improve the timeliness and completeness of information for COVID-19 public health follow-up and contact tracing."
United's program will roll out in phases, starting with the voluntary collection of information for all international arrivals beginning this week. In the coming months, the carrier will phase in domestic and international outbound departures.
Travelers can participate using the airline's mobile app, website or at the airport.
Earlier this month, United announced a new virtual customer service feature, dubbed Agent on Demand. The carrier added the contact-free option to provide travelers with real-time information and support on any mobile device.
Customers will be able to call, text or video chat live with an agent and get answers on everything from seat assignments to boarding times.
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