In yet another survey conducted by reputable pollsters, the majority of Americans support restricting international and domestic air travel to fully vaccinated travellers. The AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll, which included 1,729 adults, found that 57% strongly supported or somewhat supported allowing fully vaccinated Americans to travel by plane between August 12-16.
Self-identified Democrat voters, who favored introducing vaccine cards at 80 percent, had the strongest support. Only 36% of Republican voters supported vaccination passports for air travel while 43% strongly opposed it.
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The vaccine passports could be more beneficial to older Americans than for younger adults, who are statistically the most susceptible to severe COVID-19 infections. 74% of Americans 60+ favored a travel vaccine passport, compared with 47% of those aged 18-29.
While the Biden administration is open to allowing fully vaccinated foreign tourists to travel to the United States, it has rejected the idea for domestic vaccine passports. This idea has been welcomed by the travel industry as part of the measures to reopen America to European and British visitors, and to ease restrictions on Canada as well as Mexico.
However, the industry is opposed to any mandates regarding vaccines or testing for domestic flights.
The White House was asked by airlines to withdraw plans for domestic pre-departure testing. They argued that it would reduce demand and push people towards safer modes of transportation. Similar arguments would apply if vaccination were required to fly.
Chief executive of Delta Air Lines Ed Bastian cannot bear to use the term "vaccine passport" because it has too many connotations.
Bastian prefers the term "travel credential", although he does not see any vaccine or mandate for domestic flight travel.
Canada had announced earlier this month that it will restrict air travel to passengers who have been fully vaccinated. These new rules will be in effect as of late October.
Air Canada and WestJet both welcomed the decision in part to ensure that fully vaccinated travelers won't have to pay for costly and excessive RTPCR tests.
This poll is largely unchanged since March, when a Reuters poll of 1,005 Americans revealed that 62% believed people should be vaccinated prior to being allowed to travel. Among Democrats, that number rose to 80%.
Vaccine passports were developed and are currently in use all over the globe, including in Israel and the UK. Although centralized data records allow countries to rapidly roll out vaccine passports, President Biden has refused the creation of a federal registry of vaccinations.
