Airports And Covid Testing: What's The Protocol?

As the COVID-19 pandemic grounded air travel, airlines and airports are now offering COVID-19 testing to put flyers at ease and encourage more passengers to fly. Airports in the United States and internationally have begun introducing COVID-19 testing options to help spur safer domestic and international travel. These tests can assist passengers heading to or arriving in destinations where proof of a negative COVID-19 test is required. Alaska, for example, requires non-residents to pay $250 for a test at the airport, while testing is free for residents. Some airports, such as San Francisco International Airport, offer testing for employees and select passengers. Other airports with testing facilities include John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, Heathrow Airport in London, and Rome's Fiumicino Airport.

Rapid tests at airports

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted the aviation industry, with airports and airlines having to adapt to new safety protocols and guidelines. One of the critical measures implemented is COVID-19 testing for travellers, which has now become a standard component of air travel. Rapid tests, in particular, have gained prominence due to their quick turnaround times.

Benefits of Rapid Tests at Airports:

• Rapid tests can provide results within 30 to 60 minutes, making them a convenient option for travellers who are pressed for time.
• They help streamline the testing process, especially when combined with other precautionary measures such as social distancing, mask-wearing, and hand hygiene.
• Rapid tests enable travellers to satisfy the entry requirements of their destination, as many places mandate a negative COVID-19 test result obtained within a specific timeframe before departure.
• They can also be beneficial for travellers returning home or those taking short international trips, eliminating the hassle of finding a testing facility abroad.
• The availability of rapid tests at airports can boost the aviation industry's recovery by facilitating safe travel and reducing the need for lengthy quarantines.

Examples of Airports Offering Rapid Tests:

• San Francisco International Airport (SFO): SFO was the first US airport to introduce rapid COVID-19 testing for its employees, with results available in less than an hour.
• Toronto Pearson International Airport: In collaboration with Relay Medical, the airport has conducted over 8,000 rapid antigen tests using the Fionet testing system.
• Anchorage International Airport (ANC), Alaska: This airport offers free COVID-19 testing for both residents and non-residents.
• Bradley International Airport, Connecticut: The airport provides COVID-19 tests seven days a week, with results typically available within 72 hours. The test costs $125 if the passenger's insurance does not cover it.
• Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP), Minnesota: Testing is free for Minnesota residents and $94 for non-residents, with results available in a few days.
• Cancun International Airport (CUN), Mexico: Rapid testing is available for $14, with results in 30 to 60 minutes.
• London Heathrow Airport (LHR), UK: PCR tests start at $110, and turnaround times vary.

PCR tests at airports

PCR Testing at US Airports:

Several US airports have introduced COVID-19 testing facilities, offering different types of tests with varying turnaround times for results. Here are some examples:

• San Francisco International Airport (SFO): In partnership with Dignity Health-GoHealth Urgent Care, SFO was the first US airport to launch rapid COVID-19 testing for airport employees, including flight crews. The testing facility is located in the International Terminal and provides results in less than an hour.
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): Clarity Lab Solutions offers standard PCR tests using nasal swabs, with results available within 24 hours via email. The tests cost $150 each and are available to anyone.
• Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport: XpresCheck offers PCR tests for $75, with results typically taking 2-3 days. They also provide rapid molecular tests for $200, producing results within 15 minutes, and antibody tests for $75.
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport: This airport offers PCR tests for $99, with results within 48 hours, and rapid antigen tests for $69, with results in 30 minutes.
• Chicago O'Hare International Airport: Simple Laboratories provides rapid antigen tests with results in 20 minutes for $120, and PCR tests for $145, with results within 72 hours.
• Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): American Airlines offers rapid tests for passengers flying to Hawaii, with results available in about 15 minutes for $249.
• Anchorage International Airport (ANC): Testing is available for both residents and non-residents, and it is free of charge.

PCR Testing at International Airports:

In addition to US airports, several international airports have also implemented COVID-19 testing facilities:

• Berlin-Tegel Airport and Frankfurt Airport (Germany): Both airports offer COVID-19 testing for travellers.
• Hong Kong International Airport: The airport provides testing for travellers from high-risk destinations, who are also required to quarantine for 14 days.
• Rome's Fiumicino Airport (Italy): A COVID-19 testing centre has been established in partnership with the Italian Red Cross.
• Haneda, Narita, and Kansai Airports (Japan): These airports have integrated rapid-result coronavirus testing into their arrival procedures.
• London Heathrow Airport (LHR): PCR tests start at $110, and the "Test and Rest" package includes a hotel room and a PCR test starting at $247.

Pre-Travel Testing at Hotels:

If you're unable to find a suitable testing solution at the airport, some hotels and resorts offer pre-travel testing for their guests. For example:

• Baha Mar hotel complex (Bahamas): Guests can order a PCR test for $125 or a rapid COVID-19 test for $25 before their departure.
• Viva Wyndham Resorts (Dominican Republic): Free antigen testing is provided for US residents staying at their hotels.

Testing for travel to Hawaii

Tests are available at various locations, including:

• In-person at places like CVS and Walgreens, costing ~$100-150 per person.
• At-home test kits, such as Vault Health, where you video chat with someone who watches you take the test, costing ~$100-150 per person.
• On-site at some airports with direct flights to Hawaii, with results available in less than 30 minutes, costing ~$250.

Once you have your negative test result, you will need to upload it to the Hawaii Safe Travels website, along with completing a health questionnaire and sharing personal details. You will then be sent a QR code, which you will need to show at the airport and may also be asked for at your hotel.

Testing for international arrivals

United States

A growing number of airports in the United States are offering COVID-19 testing to help encourage safer domestic and international travel. These tests can assist passengers travelling to destinations where proof of a negative COVID-19 test is required, such as Alaska, Hawaii, and New York.

Alaska

All airports in Alaska offer COVID-19 testing as part of the state's entry requirements. Travellers can provide a negative test result from within 72 hours before arrival or take a test upon arrival and self-quarantine until they have the results. Testing is free for Alaska residents, but non-residents must pay $250 for a test at the airport. Testing facilities are available at the Juneau International Airport, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, and Ketchikan Airport.

Arizona

Arizona's Governor has instructed the state's Department of Health Services to arrange for coronavirus testing in the state's airports, including the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, and Tucson International Airport.

California

The Los Angeles International Airport offers onsite coronavirus testing at three locations: Terminal 2, Terminal 6, and Tom Bradley International Terminal. The test costs $150.

The Oakland International Airport offers free, onsite coronavirus testing for passengers flying to Hawaii. The airport also provides free testing for the public at the North Field complex from 9 am to 5 pm.

The San Francisco International Airport offers COVID-19 testing in the International Terminal's main hall prior to security, in partnership with Dignity Health-GoHealth Urgent Care. The testing area is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm.

Colorado

The Denver International Airport offers COVID-19 testing at Concourse B for $200.

Connecticut

The Bradley International Airport offers COVID-19 testing for travellers by showing a copy of their boarding pass. Pre-registering online is encouraged, and the test costs $125. There is also a drive-thru testing site at the airport's Parking Lot 3 on Schoephoester Road.

Florida

The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport offers COVID-19 testing in Terminal 3 from 7 am to 9 pm. The PCR test costs $106, and the rapid antigen test costs $74.

The Tampa International Airport offers both a rapid antigen test and a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test inside the Main Terminal in collaboration with BayCare Health System. Testing is available seven days a week from 8 am to 2 pm, and the PCR test costs $150 with results available in 48 hours.

Georgia

The Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport offers COVID-19 testing for travellers to Amsterdam and Italy.

Hawaii

The Daniel K. Inouye International Airport in Honolulu offers COVID-19 testing for adults and children over the age of five for $125. The site is open from 9 am to 5 pm, and results are available within three to six hours.

Illinois

The Chicago O'Hare International Airport offers rapid antigen testing for $120, with results available in about 20 minutes, and PCR testing for $145, with results within 72 hours.

The Chicago Midway International Airport offers rapid antigen testing for $120, with results in 20 minutes, and PCR testing for $145, with results within 72 hours.

Maine

The Portland International Jetport offers a one-hour rapid test for $25 and an RT-PCR test with a three-day turnaround time for free.

Massachusetts

The General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport in Boston has an XpresCheck coronavirus testing facility in the International Arrivals area, which can administer over 400 COVID-19 tests per day. Travellers can choose from a rapid molecular test, a PCR test, or a blood antibody test, based on their destination's requirements.

Michigan

The Gerald R. Ford International Airport in Grand Rapids offers a drive-up COVID-19 testing site with rapid antigen tests for $75 and PCR tests for $125. The site is open to anyone from 4 am to 8 pm.

Minnesota

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport offers COVID-19 testing for air travellers, airport employees, and the general public. The testing facility is located in Terminal 1, and the saliva test is free for Minnesota residents and $94 for non-residents. Results are typically available within a few days via email.

New Jersey

The Newark Liberty International Airport offers COVID-19 testing at the XpresCheck site, which includes rapid molecular tests, PCR tests, and antibody tests. Online reservations are preferred but walk-ins are accepted.

New York

The Albany International Airport offers COVID-19 testing for airport staff for free, and travellers can get a saliva swab PCR test for between $30 and $60.

The John F. Kennedy International Airport offers testing at the XpresCheck facility in Terminal 4, as well as a free walk-in testing site in JetBlue's Terminal 5.

The LaGuardia Airport has a free coronavirus testing site set up by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in collaboration with NYC Health & Hospitals. Testing is available seven days a week from 9 am to 7 pm, and no appointment or insurance is required.

Oregon

The Portland International Airport offers COVID-19 testing for Alaska Airlines passengers only for $135.

Pennsylvania

The Philadelphia International Airport

Testing for airline employees

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) was the first US airport to launch rapid COVID-19 testing for its employees, in partnership with Dignity Health-GoHealth Urgent Care. The testing facility is located in the International Terminal and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Employees can save their spot in advance online. The rapid tests have a turnaround time of less than an hour, and the airport anticipates further reducing this wait time.

SFO's testing program initially focused on testing airline flight crews and was implemented to protect the health and safety of both employees and travellers.

Other airports in the US that have introduced COVID-19 testing for employees and passengers include:

• Anchorage International Airport, Alaska
• Bradley International Airport, Connecticut
• Burlington International Airport, Vermont
• Chicago O'Hare International Airport, Illinois
• Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas
• Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, Florida
• Honolulu International Airport, Hawaii
• Los Angeles International Airport, California
• Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, Minnesota
• Newark Liberty International Airport, New Jersey
• LaGuardia Airport, New York
• Oakland International Airport, California
• Portland International Jetport, Maine
• San Diego International Airport, California
• San Francisco International Airport, California
• Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, Washington

Frequently asked questions