United Airlines will expand its pre-flight COVID-19 testing program to flights out of Houston bound for destinations in the Caribbean and Latin American.
New United Airlines COVID-19 Testing Partnership For Houston Flights
Beginning December 7, United will help facilitate self-collected (nasal swab), mail-in tests that meet local entry requirements for the following destinations:
- Aruba (AUA)
- Belize City, Belize (BZE)
- Guatemala City, Guatemala (GUA)
- Lima, Peru (LIM)
- Nassau, Bahamas (NAS)
- Panama City, Panama (PTY)
- Roatan, Honduras (RTB)
- San Pedro Sula, Honduras (SAP)
- San Salvador, El Salvador (SAL)
- Tegucigalpa, Honduras (TGU)
The test will cost $119 and be processed by by Advanced Diagnostic Laboratory (ADL), with test processing completed in San Antonio.
As United explains:
United will reach out to customers 14 days ahead of their flights to provide instructions on ordering a test and the testing process. United encourages customers to research the local requirements for further questions specific to their destination. Customers are advised to take the tests 72 hours before departure and should expect to receive results via email within 24-48 hours of mailing in their test.
So unlike both San Francisco (SFO) and Newark (EWR), tests will not be available on-site. These mail-in tests are already available and have been available, but United will help passengers connect the dots, filling them in on specific entry requirements for their destination and sending gentle reminders that pre-flight testing is available through a preferred partner that should eliminate any headaches upon arrival.
CONCLUSION
I have no experience with ADL, but I do see wisdom in airlines partnering with trusted providers who will provide rapid results to departing passengers. The window is so narrow: drop a test specimen in the mail three days before your flight and hope it arrives promptly and is processed promptly? This has been an issue for many Hawaiian-bound passengers and vetting out a partner who can competently process tests is customer-friendly move.
Have you ordered testing with ADL? What was your experience like?
image: ADL
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