American Airlines is adding the passengers who travel to Costa Rica to the preflight coronavirus testing program, it said in a statement. The US carrier will launch this program on 15 October. What else do we know about it?
Where can I get the test?
American Airlines announced earlier this week that it was setting up its preflight testing program. It became the latest airline in the world to announce preflight coronavirus testing exams. Other carriers that have done the same are Lufthansa and United Airlines, among others.
The airlines are trying to bring back the travelers into their planes, so they set up these tests to reinforce passenger trust.
American is setting its testing program from the airline’s hub at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Miami International Airport (MIA).
In the travelers’ case to Costa Rica, they can do the test if they’re bound to travel from both hubs. The carrier said,
“Starting 15 October, customers traveling from DFW to Costa Rica will have access to the airline’s preflight COVID-19 testing program, in partnership with LetsGetChecked, CareNow, and DFW Airport. Customers will be responsible for testing costs.”
How can I get the test?
The airline is offering three options for preflight testing to customers with flights from DFW to Costa Rica.
Firstly, the passengers can get an at-home test from LetsGetChecked. A medical professional would observe the test, via virtual visit, and the results would be ready in 48 hours, on average.
The second option is in-person testing at a CareNow urgent care location. The final option is rapid onsite testing at DFW, administered by CareNow.
On the other hand, if the travelers depart from MIA to Costa Rica, they will only have one option, the at-home test. American said that more options will become available after the program launches at the Miami airport.
Which other destinations are part of the program?
From DFW, passengers going to Costa Rica and Hawai are eligible for the preflight coronavirus testing program.
Meanwhile, from Miami, the passengers traveling to Jamaica, the Bahamas, and Costa Rica are eligible. The airline added,
“American is also working with CARICOM, an integrated grouping of 20 Caribbean countries, to expand the program to additional markets in the region.”
Costa Rica still has travel restrictions
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Costa Rica currently has some severe travel regulations.
Passengers are not allowed to enter the country unless they are national and residents of Costa Rica. They’re also allowed if they have nationalities that do not require a visa to enter when traveling as a tourist.
Nevertheless, those passengers must not have been in any country worldwide except for the following 44 nations in the last 14 days: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Uruguay, United Kingdom, and Vatican City.
Also, Costa Rica is allowing entrance to residents of 23 US States and Washington D.C. Today, Texas, Florida, and Georgia were included on the list. The states are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wyoming.
Will you plan to use the preflight coronavirus testing program of American Airlines? Let us know in the comments.
