Ticket? Passport? Add a Covid Vaccination Card to the List of Must-Have Travel

Across the U.S., domestic travel is picking up amid stabilizing or falling Covid-19 cases and a relatively quick vaccination drive. That rebound isn’t yet happening with international traffic, where a patchwork of travel bans, quarantine rules and testing requirements have stymied cross-border flights.

U.S. domestic carriers have increased scheduled capacity by more than 50% between September and March, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. Global capacity across all international routes, meanwhile, has increased just a little over 7%.

British Airways, Ryanair and other airlines dependent on international travel are hoping to boost ticket sales by capitalizing on nascent optimism over vaccinations. Their move isn’t quite the sort of vaccination passport that some governments and international agencies are exploring to help unlock pandemic-stricken economies. Countries have considered documents that would allow vaccinated residents to visit bars and restaurants, or go to the office or a sporting event.

The airlines’ effort is more modest, aimed at making the storing and display of vaccination and test records easier for passengers who are considering visiting countries putting out the welcome mat for vaccinated travelers. The goal is to minimize fears of being refused entry at borders and limiting the time a passenger needs to spend at airport check-in.

British Airways is moving at a time when its home market is benefiting from one of the world’s fastest vaccine rollouts. U.K. Prime Minister

Boris Johnson

last month laid out plans that could lead to the lifting of a monthslong ban on overseas travel in May. Airlines reported a surge in bookings after Mr. Johnson’s briefing.

TUI AG

, the biggest tour operator in Europe, reported a 500% week-on-week surge in bookings for trips to Turkey, Greece and Spain.

Cyprus and Greece, which have intermittently closed their borders to most tourists, have said they plan sometime in May to welcome British visitors without restrictions if they can show proof of being fully vaccinated. In Iceland, the government is allowing any incoming vaccinated traveler to bypass Covid-19 health-screening protocols.

On Wednesday, the European Union said it was introducing a vaccination “passport” in both digital and paper form for EU citizens traveling within the bloc. The document will carry Covid-19 health-related data including vaccination and test histories. Governments along the Mediterranean have pushed for the measure to be in place in time to prevent a second lost summer season for their battered tourism industry.

China on Tuesday said it was easing travel restrictions for vaccinated foreigners. Chinese embassies in the U.S., Italy, India, the Philippines and other locations plan to offer “visa facilitation” to foreign applicants who can certify they have been vaccinated. Travelers are still subject to showing a negative Covid-19 test and to quarantine. And there is another catch: The only shots that qualify are ones made by China, and those are hard to find in much of the West.

As part of its plan to ease post-pandemic travel, British Airways—the largest carrier within

International Consolidated Airlines Group SA

—will allow passengers to upload evidence…