Senate considers bill to require vaccinations or testing for all U.S. domestic flights

A bill introduced in the Senate this week would require all domestic U.S. air travelers to show either proof of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative COVID test prior to boarding a flight.

The U.S. Air Travel Public Safety Act, introduced by California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, would mandate "national vaccination verification standards" that would order airlines to require "documentation demonstrating that the passenger is fully vaccinated" against the SARS-Cov-2 virus.

The bill does not specifically define "vaccination," leaving it instead up to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and indicating that the qualifications for vaccination could change over time. 

Passengers would also be permitted to fly with “proof of a negative pre-departure qualifying test” for SARS-Cov-2.