Aer Lingus + Verifly app, is it really needed for EU travel?

munchkin_utd

Aer lingus have emailed asking that we use the verifly app to verify our documentation, but WTF, we are flying to Ireland on Irish passports and have the EU covid app/ digital cert. The kids are < 12 so need nothing but their Irish passport.

Aer lingus mention that theres the possibility of long queues at the airport if we dont use verifly but jesus, surely they take the EU app as it is, rather than having some external service verify it?

Has anyone used this app or have any idea if the EU standard will do them?

Stark

EU standard should be fine. In some cases, Aer Lingus has a priority queue for Verifly users so you might get to board the plane quicker. Main advantage of Verifly is it serves as a check list so you don't forget to do something like fill out the passenger locator form.

Flew to Manchester last weekend. No checks at all flying out (UK respects the Common Travel Area so it's like taking a domestic flight). In theory I should have been asked for things like proof of vaccination etc. flying back but no checks were done.

duffman13

10 of us last week on a group trip flying out of Dublin to Portugal, I was the only one with it. Its a terrible app and made zero different to me versus the other 9 without it

munchkin_utd

>In some cases, Aer Lingus has a priority queue for Verifly users so you might get to board the plane quicker. 

thats fair enough, but I'm one of those who cant be bothered with getting up off my seat near the boarding gate till near the end so I'll be as slow as normal and with the kids that applies even more! We have allocated seating so whats the rush ??

I'd also imagine Verifly would be a real benefit to someone with a random scrap of paper from some regional vaccination centre in the back end of the USA, and I hear canada also has fairly interesting documentation, but again, whats the point of the EU finally getting their act in gear and organising certs and apps at a central level only to have EU airlines ignore that and do their own random thing.

Ireland is in the EU. Aer lingus is an EU airline. Im an EU citizen flying within the EU with the standard EU documentation. I will not use the app then so!!

StreetLight

I used it on a flight from the Canaries recently. Despite me uploading all my relevant documents, they still manually scrutinised them at the check in desk. It caused a massive queue and so it was a total waste of time.

munchkin_utd

just for info, unbeknown to me my wife filled it out for herself and the kids last night and finds it relatively ok. It guides you through what additional documents you need for your nationality and age/ vaccination status and tells you if an entry form is needed or not.

Better still, a feature that isnt flagged anywhere in their VERY sparse documentation is that you can add your kids as additional passengers, so you dont need a phone per travelling person. From the criticism of the app from before I wouldnt have been surprised if it was stupid enough to require your 6 month old to have their own personal mobile, but thats not the case.

So, it actually seems like a rather good idea if sold as a foolproof way to be guided through the (potential) maze of entry requirements, or to work out what EXACTLY is needed for kids especially when in or around that 12 year old mark where exemptions may or may not kick in depending on the destination, but aer lingus is selling it as an express pass through checkin or the airport which it definitely doesnt seem to be.

Stark

Yeah I've a trip to Germany planned next month and it's good for making sure you don't forget country specific requirements (like Germany have their own version of the passenger locator form you need to fill out before travelling and stuff).

NSAman

VeriFLY is a pain to use. Have all the documents, double checked everything and it is STILL refusing to accept the PCR test after being “reviewed”…I’m sure my doctor and the local hospital will be interested to hear about it….

maybe it doesn’t like American PCR test results

endofrainbow

Verifly is great - when it works.

The only advantage I can see is that if all your docs are verified, you can check in online, other wise you need to check in at the airport.

munchkin_utd

we used verifly for our flights in the end.

It wasnt checked by aer lingus (on way out we checked in at the desk, on way back at the bag drop) AND it does seem to not quite be accurate with the rules as it wanted us to verify the entry form for germany at the time despite the fact that only the border region was a risk area.

When you arrive at a border checkpoint obviously they want your actual forms/ tests / vax certs and not some random app that shows a green tick.

Joeseph Balls

Tried to set up verifly tonight. I got my booster the Thursday before last, and have the new cert. However it's coming up as invalid on the verifly app when I scan it.

Anyone have this problem before?

podgeandrodge

What's story with verifly being priority, and paying for priority boarding/having aerclub priority status? Does it render priority worthless as non priority with verifly will go first anyway?

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118482484#Comment_118482484

A friend had a similar problem. Bring your cert with you to the check-in desk and they should be able to fix your verify there. Do not proceed to boarding gate until they get it done or you might have problems ther...

theguzman

Its a stupid ridiculous app and makes no account for unvaccinated passengers. I tried to use it tonight for a vaxxed and unvaxxed couple and there is nowhere to upload the EU Certificate of Recovery for the unvaccinated person. Whilst it accepted the first passengers vaccine EU digital cert fine. Both passengers on carryon with Aer Lingus so it looks like the unvaxxed one will need to go to the check-in desk, absolutely no need for this.

Caranica

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118644326#Comment_118644326

There is every need for this. Countries have gotten stricter on entry requirements for non vaccinated people. Of course their documents should have extra scrutiny.

Stratvs

My daughter used Verifly for AL flights to USA at Christmas. She is very tech savvy but still found it a pain. Also her passport had Firstname/Middlename/Surname but COVID cert and flight tickets only had Firstname/Lastname and that created problems with the app.

We hope to head to Canaries in a couple months so I was hoping not to need to go near Verifly. Will have checked luggage so will need to go to check in desk anyway so don't mind that. After this long a Q isn't going to make much difference.

Igotadose

Tried to use it for a flight from Cork to LHR. Neither was recognized as a destination or origin. This was the Aerlingus-provided version, pretty sad it doesn't recognize Irish airports that aren't Dublin.

Does it work? Is it needed anymore for UK travel?

skinnyfries

I received an email from Aer Lingus regarding my flight to the UK next week. They strongly recommended using the VeriFLY app to avoid long queues etc, but like @Igotadose I can’t select an Irish airport as a departure point. There are only 3 airports on the drop down menu, all American. Crazy

amber2

Used VeriFLY it was only checked in Ireland by aerlingus on the way out, no one cared, checked or wanted to see it on the way home. Just being pushed by aerlingus.

goingnowhere

The reason no one checks, is you can't check in online if you haven't done the app bit. The airline has a record of and copies of the required documentation and that meets the legal requirements.

Thats the entire point is to avoid any additional hassle at the airport

Don't use app, check in in person

Igotadose

No longer required as of 12am 6 March. Passenger locator and Covid cert for entry into Ireland are no longer required.

granturismo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118739415#Comment_118739415

Have you flown with Aer Lingus recently? I have flights booked for Schipol at the end of April and cant find any information if Verifly is needed except from Are lingus website stating its available. Netherlands no longer require proof of vaccination or recovery from passengers from Ireland.

Igotadose

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118855471#Comment_118855471

Most recent was early march, nothing was required except a passport for the way out. England didn't ask for anything when we got there.

We carried our vaccine certs on our phones just in case, were never asked. This was round trip to London via Heathrow

Rezident

Verifly does not work. I have tried it several times, it had never worked once yet. I upload all of the details, it says you are complete, view your travel pass and when you click on it, all the info disappears and you have to start over. Forever. Worst app I have ever used. Look at the reviews on Trustpilot, every review is one star. Avoid, it has been a total waste of time. Aer Lingus should not be recommending this nonsense, it is such a waste of time.

paul321123

Filled out the verifly app for a recent trip and had no issue with that for both myself and wife, but did not have to show this anywhere along the way and boarded the plain with no issues, seems a waste of time unless they are going to use it. I checked in on line so had both boarding passes on my phone, had covid certs on phone, I also print out boarding passes and covid certs just incase anything go's wrong with the phone.

Dodge

It isn’t checked because uploading the docs is the check. Once it’s on the app, that’s it.

Some can’t use it (recovery cert for example) and have to check in at the airport. VeriFLY and online check in is far preferable to that

Nothing is now required for flying into Ireland

BailMeOut

I found it very useful as it tells you if you have everything in order and at check in AerLingus just want to see that everything is green on the app.

betty63

We are flying from Dublin to Lanzarote next week. Aer Lingus keep encouraging us (via email) to use Verifly

We’ve the Covid app with the various certs. We’re usually pretty good about having all our documentation together at airports

Husband works in IT and knows all about data breaches, security etc. He is reluctant to put our photos, dates of birth, names etc on yet another app - we are not frequent flyers

For anyone who has flown to Europe from Dublin recently:-

1) Can you check in online to Aer Lingus without using Verifly?

2) If you used Verifly did it really speed up things at the airport?

Any comments or suggestions about using Verifly recently are very much welcome

Thanks All

Dodge

1) No, you can’t check in online without Verifly

2) you’ll be queuing with every other person flying with Aer Lingus who can’t/won’t use it

granturismo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119079842#Comment_119079842

My wife checked in online for a flight with Aerlingus to an EU destination last week and didnt use Verifly. I used Verifly at the end of April to go to the Netherlands. Zero difference in our airport experience.

There is no separate queue at any stage either at scanning boarding passes, at security or the gate for verifly and nonverifly passengers.

Dodge

Once you’re checked in, there’s no difference of course

If you can check in for a flight without it, great but I couldn’t recently (Verifly wouldn’t accept recovery cert). Perhaps different destinations had different requirements