American Airlines said Tuesday it will offer passengers coronavirus tests, joining United Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and JetBlue Airways to join the preflight test. Tampa International Airport also said it would provide tests. These tests, which range from quick tests at the airport to results taken in minutes to tests taken in a few days, allow passengers whose results are negative to circumvent or reduce quarantine restrictions at various locations.
The new tests come at a time when the number of people flying domestically and internationally has been steadily declining (the Transportation Security Administration examined 8,68,6888 people on Tuesday, compared to 1,998,980 on the same date a year earlier). Hopefully, testing at airports will help those who are concerned about flight safety amid the ongoing epidemic.
American President, Robert Isom, “American President, Robert Isom, American President,” our plan for this early phase of preflight testing reflects our ingenuity and care to build team confidence in air travel and we consider it an important step in our work . “, Said in a statement on Tuesday.
The American will initially test people traveling to international destinations from Miami International Airport to Jamaica. The test for travel to Jamaica will be for residents flying to their hometown; If a passenger tests negative for the virus, the 14-day quarantine currently held for returning residents will be waived. The airline is also working to begin testing for visitors and residents traveling to the Bahamas and other Caribbean countries. Beginning in mid-October, the airline will offer a home test that can be done via video call with a medical professional; Personal examination at the Keranav emergency care location; And fast on-site testing, operated by CareNow at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport for flights to Hawaii.
Tampa International Airport is the first airport in the United States to offer tests and they will be available to passengers flying on any airline. Tests will be performed by Baker nurses and medical professionals, and passengers have the option of taking a PCR test that gives results in 48 hours or a quick antigen test that gives results in 15 minutes. Prior to the epidemic, Tampa’s airport was one of the busiest in the country, with more than 22 million passengers in 2019. Ticket passengers who fly in or have flown within three days and can show proof of travel can take a nasal swab test for $ 125 or an antigen test for anti 57.
Tests are not mandatory, and cost about $ 50 to 250 250.
Airlines and airports are desperate for passengers to fly again. The aviation sector has lost about 40,000 jobs this week, while the financial relief that was part of the Cares stimulus package expires on October 1st.
Tori Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy at the U.S. Travel Association, said “faster, more efficient testing will allow the travel economy to resume comprehensively, and enable organizations to quickly restore lost jobs and re-workers.” Tory Emerson Barnes, executive vice president of public affairs and policy at the U.S. Travel Association, said. This month. “Importantly, a strong testing program will allow the United States to return international visitors, part of a journey that has effectively disappeared since the beginning of the epidemic.”
Announced last week, the pilot program to test passengers and people traveling by air from United’s Science Francisco International Airport will begin in mid-October, allowing visitors from outside the state of Hawaii to leave the quarantine inside the test, if 72. Hours of travel.
“Our new Covid testing program is to help customers meet their on-site entry requirements, safely and conveniently,” United’s Chief Consumer Officer Toby Enquist said in a statement. Other destinations and airports in the United States.
JTW is offering in-house saliva testing that is administered via online video chat with a vault health testing supervisor who assures customers that they provide their samples properly. The airline’s test is for people traveling to countries that allow people to enter if a negative test result occurs. Passengers receive results within 72 hours.
Airports and airlines are stepping up the cleaning process and many have made social distance and mask-wearing rules mandatory in an effort to keep passengers safe and give them confidence about the flight.
Stephen Beck, founder and managing partner of management consultancy CG42, which has advised aerospace companies, said: “Tests are compatible with other travel matters that make people feel more comfortable around travel experiences.
The tests came months after airlines and travel trade groups called on the government to create a federal testing program and mandate people to wear masks, but that has not happened and the airlines have developed their own policies and systems. The airline also asked European Union and American officials to create a test program to encourage travel.
Leading Carlos Ozore, aviation and aviation consultant at the ICF, said the move to offer testing would not lead to a full recovery in air travel, but would likely receive traction in the coming months, especially international travel.
“This is really for international markets where you have country restrictions that require quarantine or a negative test result,” Mr. Ozores said. “I imagine this will come out more widely when completing international travel.”
Mr Ozore added that in order for airlines and airports to be tested, governments must agree to accept each other’s tests, and apply relevant standards regardless of where the tests are being performed.
In another development of airline virus testing, Hawaiian Airlines will have drive-through testing sites for its passengers in San Francisco and Los Angeles in partnership with Worksite Labs; The results of the tests in mid-October will be paid within 90 hours for a 90-day or 1-day travel service.
In Europe, Italian airline Alitalia has been testing flights between Rome and Milan since October. Airlines also expect testing on flights of passengers traveling between New York and Italy and at airports.
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