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United, Hawaii Airlines offer COVID-19 testing in California for Hawaii-bound passengers

United, Hawaii Airlines offer COVID-19 testing in California for Hawaii-bound passengers
Posted at 5:10 PM, Sep 25, 2020
and last updated 2020-09-25 20:55:32-04

If you are looking to avoid being quarantined in Hawaii for up to 14 days due to COVID-19, United Airlines and Hawaii Airlines are looking to make it easier on you by offering same-day COVID-19 tests at the airports.

On Thursday, United announced that beginning Oct. 15, passengers traveling from San Francisco to Hawaii can either take a rapid test at the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) or a self-collected, mail-in test ahead of their trip.

If you opt for the self-collected test, you must submit your sample within 72 hours of travel via overnight mail or an airport dropbox, United said.

"Our new COVID testing program is another way we are helping customers meet their destinations' entry requirements, safely and conveniently," said Toby Enqvist, Chief Customer Officer at United in the press release. "We'll look to quickly expand customer testing to other destinations and U.S. airports later this year to complement our state-of-the-art cleaning and safety measures that include a mandatory mask policy, antimicrobial and electrostatic spraying and our hospital-grade HEPA air filtration systems."

On Friday, Hawaii Airlines announced that passengers traveling to Hawaii from Los Angeles (LAX) or the Bay Area would be able to use drive-through services at Worksite Labs locations near LAX and SFO.

"As Hawai'i's leading airline, it is critical to ensure that access to testing does not impede travel to Hawai'i, for visitors or our kama‘āina (residents)," said Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian Airlines in a press release. "Our testing option will offer Los Angeles and Bay Area travelers superior value, and we look forward to expanding the program and bringing additional choices to more of our gateway cities as we welcome guests back with our industry-leading Hawaiian hospitality while keeping our community safe. We're grateful to the state of Hawai'i for its partnership in developing the pre-travel testing program."

You have the option to pay either $90 for results within 36 hours or $150 for same-day results, the airliner said. The company said the Droplet Digital PCR shallow nasal swab tests do meet Hawaii's testing requirements.