Korean Air mandates Ebola pledge forms for US-bound passengers

Korean Air will require all passengers on US-bound flights to submit an Ebola-related pledge form starting with departures Wednesday at 1:59 p.m., the airline announced Tuesday.

The measure follows an administrative order issued by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent the Ebola virus, which has been spreading in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, from entering the United States. It takes effect at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time Tuesday.

The CDC is requiring all passengers on international flights bound for the US to submit a declaration confirming they have not visited or stayed in the DRC within the past 21 days. The requirement applies to US citizens and permanent residents, as well as crew members and transit passengers connecting through the US to third countries.

The pledge form is an official declaration in which passengers confirm and sign that they have not visited or stayed in the DRC in the 21 days before boarding a US-bound flight. Even a brief transit through a DRC airport — including cases where a passenger did not leave the airport — counts as a stay for the purposes of the requirement.

Passengers who have visited or stayed in the DRC within the past 21 days will not be permitted to board US-bound flights. Those who decline to complete or submit the form will also be denied boarding.

Eligibility to board a US-bound flight is calculated with the day of departure from the DRC counted as day zero. Passengers must spend a full 21 days outside the DRC in a country other than the United States before they may board a US-bound flight on day 22.

Each passenger must complete and submit an individual form. Even for families or group travelers, a single representative may not submit one form on behalf of the group — every passenger, including infants, must submit their own.

However, a guardian or an authorized adult representative may complete the form on behalf of passengers who are under 18, or who are unable to fill out or sign the form themselves due to a physical or mental disability or advanced age. A travel companion or travel agency staff member authorized by the passenger to submit the required information may also complete and sign the form on their behalf.

The form may be completed on paper or electronically and must be submitted to the airline before check-in on the day of departure. Korean Air said it plans to strengthen guidance so passengers can familiarize themselves with the requirements and prepare the form in advance.

The measure is set to remain in effect through Dec. 19 (Korean Standard Time) in line with CDC guidelines, and the airline said it will provide updated information if US health authorities revise their directives.

"This measure is a mandatory requirement under an administrative order from US health authorities, and we ask for the full cooperation of all passengers traveling to the United States," a Korean Air official said. "We will do our utmost to ensure passengers are well informed in advance so they can prepare for their travel smoothly."

Meanwhile, Korean Air recently held its fourth annual Safety Day event with Asiana Airlines at Korean Air's headquarters in Gangseo-gu, Seoul.

The event drew about 200 executives and employees from both carriers, including Korean Air Vice Chairman and CEO Woo Ki-hong and Asiana Airlines CEO Song Bo-young, along with staff from ground-handling companies Korea Airport Service and Asiana Airport.

This year's slogan is "One Team, One Safety" — the same as last year — reflecting the two airlines' continued goal of substantively merging their safety cultures and embedding them across operations.