United Airlines to Offer COVID-19 Testing to Passengers

By Mary Anne R. First Posted: Sep 25, 2020 01:21 AM EDT

United Airlines will offer COVID-19 testing to passengers, making it the first airline to offer such service.

This is just in time for Hawaii's pre-travel testing program. Starting Oct. 15, United passengers flying from San Francisco to Hawaii will be given the option to take a rapid COVID-19 test.

The airline will offer COVID-19 rapid tests, which will be done either at the airport or mail-in at home, prior to travel. The testing will cost $250 and will provide results in approximately 15 minutes.

Those who will choose the $80 mail-in test will be asked to request the test 10 days before their trip. They will also be asked to submit their sample within 72 hours of their flight.

Officials said the rapid test meets the standard of the state's pre-travel testing program, which is also set to begin on Oct. 15. This would allow visitors who test negative for COVID-19 to avoid the 14-day quarantine period. Meanwhile, the mail-in test is still being evaluated.

Aaron McMillan of United Airlines' operations policy and support division said they see this as a great opportunity to provide access to testing for their customers and get them back in the air and travel as safely as possible.

United offers more flights to Hawaii than any other major carrier. However, it plans to start the testing program with flights from San Francisco.

For months, Hawaii's tourism industry has been one of the many affected due to the coronavirus pandemic with the mandatory quarantine in place.

The pre-travel program would allow tourism and allow visitors to avoid the quarantine period if they test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of landing.

Lt. Gov. Josh Green collaborated and worked with United officials to create the testing guidelines.

"That nucleic acid amplification test is consistent with what our standards. It's certified lab approved, so that will be a help and that will mean that that rapid test can get people cleared," Green said in a report.

The reported cost of $250 might be costly compared to the $140 tests offered by CVS and Walgreens. However, it is more convenient.

United aims to expand testing nationwide. It is currently only available in San Francisco right now. Green said having COVID-19 testing in airports is good.

"Lufthansa is now doing it, other airlines are certainly gonna do it and United has already been doing it for their pilots and crew," he noted.

Many airline jobs have been protected by $25 billion in federal payroll support. However, more than 75,000 U.S. airline employees have been warned that their jobs are at risk on Oct. 1, when the terms expire on a $25 billion federal aid package that keeps airline workers in their jobs.

The Department of Labor earlier said that 16.3 million Americans are out of employment. The airline industry supports some 10 million jobs, according to Airlines for America.

David Lebovitz, a global market strategist at J.P. Morgan Asset Management, said they recognize that there is fairly significant spillover into the economy from the pandemic.