American Airlines’ preflight COVID testing program will soon be available to even more travelers. After it began offering preflight coronavirus testing options to customers traveling from Miami to Jamaica in October, and to those flying from Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas, to Hawaii in October—now the carrier is making it available in all U.S. destinations where testing is required to bypass or shorten an otherwise mandatory quarantine.
Starting December 9, LetsGetChecked at-home testing kits will be made available to passengers flying on or after December 12 to:
- Alaska
- Chicago
- Connecticut
- District of Columbia
- Hawaii
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Pennsylvania
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
The rules and restrictions for entry vary for each of the above destinations. For instance, visitors to Alaska must arrive with proof of a negative COVID-19 test and get a second test upon arrival, then quarantine until the results are ready. In Hawaii (with the exception of Kauai, which requires a 14-day quarantine), visitors must provide proof of a negative COVID-19 result prior to departure from a test taken no more than 72 hours before the flight.
In New York, all travelers who arrive having been in states other than neighboring New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts for more than 24 hours will need to receive a negative COVID-19 test result three days prior to departing those non-neighboring states. On arrival in New York, they must then quarantine for three days. On day 4, travelers will take another COVID-19 test and if the results are negative, they can exit quarantine.
These are just a few examples, but there are numerous interactive maps and tools for staying up to date on the latest travel restrictions, including one that American offers to customers called Sherpa. You enter your destination on the website, and it will provide an overview of the travel requirements.
LetsGetChecked sells an FDA-authorized coronavirus at-home test kit for $119–$129. You don’t have to be an American Airlines customer to purchase the kit, but American supplies information and a direct link to the booking site to help facilitate the process. The kit is delivered via UPS and includes a nasal swab test that you register online. After you send the sample to the lab in the provided packaging, results will be given through the online account that was created within 48 hours after the lab received the sample.
>> Next: These U.S. and International Airports Have COVID-19 Testing Facilities
