United unveils voluntary contact tracing program

United announced Wednesday a program to collect customer contact data on all flights to assist health officials in contact tracing in the effort to contain Covid-19. The program, which will cover both domestic and international flights, follows a similar announcement earlier this month by rival Delta, but the Delta program only pertains to international flights. The program, which is supported by the US CDC, will be voluntary for passengers. Consumers who opt in will be asked at check-in for contact details such as an email address, phone number and address where they can be reached once they arrive. Such details "were previously difficult for the CDC to obtain in real-time," United said. "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," said CDC Director Robert Redfield. "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." <br/>