This week, Hawaiian Airlines announced that it is allowing its loyalty program members to redeem miles for a pre-travel COVID-19 test. The operator is the first carrier based in the United States to offer this type of initiative.
The process
According to a press release seen by Simple Flying, the Honolulu-based outfit’s loyalty program members can redeem 14,000 HawaiianMiles to receive a testing kit. The product is made by Vault Health, which is a trusted testing partner of the state of Hawaii.
This offer will be available to HawaiianMiles members for a limited period of time. Those who choose to redeem their miles for a test kit will receive a confirmation email. The message will then include a link to order the kit from Vault Health’s website.
The kit is available for travelers of all ages. Passengers will receive their units by post so they can self-collect their saliva samples with assistance from a testing supervisor via a video call. After that, the kit is then express shipped to a lab. Here, professionals will process and analyze the samples before providing travelers with their results electronically within 24 hours of receivement. Altogether, the turnaround time is under 72 hours.
Working together
In the press release, Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian Airlines, said the following about the initiative.
“We remain dedicated to making testing for our guests as convenient and accessible as possible, so we’re incredibly pleased to extend our partnership with Vault Health to allow our HawaiianMiles members to purchase their at-home test kit with miles.”
Furthermore, Vault Health founder and CEO Jason Feldman added the following in the announcement:
“Our at-home supervised saliva COVID test provides a safe, convenient and reliable result delivered pre-travel. We are excited to work with Hawaiian Airlines who continues to innovate on behalf of their customers making travel easier and safer for everyone.”
Opening up the skies
Above all, testing measures are assisting to open up travel to Hawaii following several months of downturn amid severe restrictions. Moreover, Hawaiian is building relationships with testing firms and even opening its own proprietary PCR testing labs in major US gateways. There are also drive-through procedures in place. These processes are helping travelers bypass quarantine as they can get a coronavirus test within 72 hours before departing.
So, the company’s multipronged approach is covering many angles and helping different passenger segments to test. Above all, airlines will be hoping that the more seamless testing procedures in place, the quicker industry recovery occurs.
What are your thoughts about Hawaiian Airlines offering HawaiianMiles redemption for COVID-19 mail-in test kits? Do you feel that this is a good move by the carrier? Let us know what you think of the program in the comment section.