American Airlines Joins in Preflight COVID-19 Testing Push

As airlines look to restore consumer confidence in flying, American Airlines has joined the growing number of carriers looking to offer pre-flight COVID-19 testing.

American will begin offering pre-flight COVID-19 testing for customers traveling to international destinations, starting with Jamaica and the Bahamas, with plans to expand the program to additional markets in the upcoming weeks and months.

In an agreement with Jamaica, the initial testing program at its Miami International Airport (MIA) hub will launch next month. The first phase will be for Jamaican residents traveling to their home country. If a passenger tests negative for COVID-19 ahead of flying with American, the 14-day quarantine currently in place for returning Jamaican residents would be waived.

If the pilot program is successful, it will then open up to U.S. citizens. A timeline for the rollout has not yet been determined.

American’s next international program will be with the Bahamas and is expected to launch next month.

The carrier said it’s also working with CARICOM, an integrated group of 20 Caribbean countries, about expanding the program to additional markets.

Domestically, American will also begin pre-flight testing for passengers going to Hawaii, allowing them to bypass the state’s mandatory quarantine order.

Starting Oct. 15, the airline will begin a preflight COVID-19 testing program at its Dallas Fort Worth International Airport hub for customers traveling to Hawaii, in partnership with LetsGetChecked, CareNow and the DFW Airport.

American will offer three options for preflight testing to customers with flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to Honolulu and Maui: at-home test from LetsGetChecked, observed by a medical professional via virtual visit, with results expected in 48 hours on average; in-person testing at a CareNow urgent care location; or onsite rapid testing, administered by CareNow.

American joins United and Hawaiian Airlines, both recently announcing rapid test programs for passengers traveling to Hawaii.

United, too, will begin its program Oct. 15. Passengers traveling from San Francisco to Hawaii, including Honolulu, Maui, and Kona, will have the option of pre-flight testing to avoid the mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Hawaiian will conduct the tests near Los Angeles and San Francisco international airports, with more testing locations coming soon at its other U.S. mainland gateways. The tests will cost $90 for results within 36 hours, or $150 for day-of-travel express service.

“The pandemic has changed our business in ways we never could have expected,” said Robert Isom, president of American Airlines. “Our plan for this initial phase of preflight testing reflects the ingenuity and care our team is putting into rebuilding confidence in air travel, and we view this as an important step in our work to accelerate an eventual recovery of demand.”

Without a vaccine, travel companies are working to find solutions to encourage safe travel after the industry came to a virtual standstill in March and April. Cruise lines have said they will employ universal testing once they can resume operations in the U.S.

Health concerns remain the biggest barrier to booking travel, reported 87% of advisors surveyed in TMR and MMGY’s latest Travel Advisor COVID-19 Sentiment Barometer. New programs like this hope to ease those concerns, while also advancing the industry’s recovery.