How American Airlines Plans to Adjust to the New Reality

Airlines around the world are trying to avoid the worst-case scenario, as the coronavirus pandemic created a lot of challenges for small as well as big airlines. American Airlines formed a partnership with direct-to-consumer home testing company LetsGetChecked. They will sell tests for $129 on top of the cost of travel.

tarting today, American Airlines customers traveling to any U.S. city, state, or territory that has COVID-19 restrictions will have access to at-home testing through LetsGetChecked for travel on or after December 12.

Hopefully, the at-home tests help travelers to comply with one of the most common travel restrictions that states have implemented, which is a negative test result either before departure or upon arrival. It will also help customers get reliable access to testing, which is still hit-or-miss in many parts of the country. However, people should not forget about other safety measures as well.

It is worth mentioning that different states have different restrictions. People should keep in mind that some states require travelers to quarantine even with a negative test result. Importantly, American Airlines and LetsGetChecked are advising customers to check the requirements. As a reminder, in the past, the carrier offered at-home tests for travelers heading to international destinations, like the U.K., Belize, and Chile.

American Airlines and COVID-19 tests

Interestingly, American Airlines is the first carrier to offer access to at-home testing for domestic flights. However, other major airlines as well as airports are also trying to introduce testing protocol. This way, airlines and airports would like to lure more customers.

For example, Delta Air Lines and Alitalia made an interesting announcement. According to the announcement, they will test passengers multiple times on flights from New York’s JFK airport, as well as on flights from two other major airports located in New Jersey and Georgia to Rome’s Fiumicino airport.

Famous airlines such as American, Delta, and others are trying to adjust to the new reality. It is no secret that the coronavirus pandemic devastated air travel earlier this year. Moreover, it could take several years to return to pre-coronavirus levels. Also, it won’t be easy to convince people to return to airports. Hopefully, American Airlines is working hard to support its customers.

Last but not least, people should take into account that customers will have to take a sample at home and send back the mail (using UPS) to be run through a PCR test. According to LetsGetChecked, it is desirable to order their tests at least five days before their flights.