United Airlines is now the first American airline to offer passengers access to the airport coronavirus testing. Launching is a simplified way for passengers to book a ticket, schedule a test, and post the results on the company’s app, according to travel experts who could be the “new normal” of travel.
Nearly a year after the pandemic, people around the world are still confused about how to follow a mosaic of COVID-19 travel guidelines and protocols.
“I was thinking all the time I was coming here, waiting for my COVID test to arrive,” traveler Noah Johnston told Errol Barnett of CBS News. “Add another layer to the trip that under normal circumstances shouldn’t worry you.”
United Airlines’ “Center ready to travel” aims to solve the problem.
The digital platform allows passengers to do everything from checking the COVID-19 requirements to scheduling a test at the terminal. While before, a traveler may get caught jumping from page to page on various government websites, United’s new app ensures that relevant information is attached directly to the ticket depending on where you go.
“Based on the ticket you bought, tailored to your size so you can know everything you need, especially because it changes the whole type of COVID landscape,” said Michelle Brown, president of United Airlines Digital Products.
CBS News learned first-hand about the testing process at XpresCheck at Newark Liberty International Airport, owned by Xpres Spa Group, a company that previously focused primarily on spas inside airports, where it opens on Monday. new emerging site of United.
XpresCheck CEO Doug Satzman said his company was in a unique position to offer COVID19 testing inside the terminal as it shifted the focus from manicures and massages to medical testing.
“Our spa business closed in late March,” Satzman said. “So here we have three areas: we check in, we have test rooms, and then we have a full-service lab.”
He noted that the update is unlikely to go away anytime soon.
“Just as 9/11 changed air safety forever, we are still barefoot,” he said. “COVID will change the security protocol at airports for a long time as well.”
Once tested, passengers upload results to their booking profile.
“Airlines invest in providing evidence because they know it’s good business,” said travel industry analyst and chairman of the Atmosphere Research Group, Henry Harteveldt, who added that the measure came out of necessity.
He continued: “Some countries or destinations want you to have one PCR test. Others will do an antigen test. So it’s really confusing. “
Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, noted that while the process is simpler and may be the future of flight, a negative rapid test result does not guarantee safety. .
“It’s not perfect, but it’s another layer that could be introduced to help reduce risk,” he explained
Since its launch of the app three weeks ago, United says it has already seen hundreds of thousands of customers post COVID-19 test results before embarking on their flights.
In addition to rapid testing, the “Travel Ready Center” also offers PCR or antigen testing. To date, the centers are available at Newark, San Francisco and LAX airports, with expansion plans.