You were denied boarding incorrectly.
Originally Posted by
Doppy
I looked at Timatic (the system that tells airline agents what documentation you need) and it indeed does not say that you're required to have a negative test, just that you're subject to a test and quarantine on arrival if you do not have a negative result. So the agent was clearly wrong about "the verbage on her computer."
Absolutely correct.
As a relevant example, my wife and I traveled PHL-MIA-AUA in December. The rules for entry and COVID testing were essentially the same: Test prior to travel and present the negative result on arrival, OR, test on arrival and quarantine at your place of lodging until test results arrive. There was not (and currently is not) a requirement to have ANY testing done prior to departure. However, we were required (and pax are still required) to complete the Aruba Electronic Embarkation/Debarkation process prior to departure, and provide that document (the green check mark document). However, the ED document process did not, and still does not require any test results to be provided.
For our trip we both tested about 70 hours prior to the departure time of the MIA-AUA flight. We both then applied for and got the Aruba Electronic Embarkation/Debarkation doc with the green check mark. The ED document with green check mark was ready prior to our test results coming in. The process for getting this document clearly notes that you can test on arrival in Aruba for a fee of $75 per person and quarantine until the results arrive.
My test results came back in about 48 hours, but my wife's results did not arrive prior to the MIA-AUA flight. For the MIA-AUA flight the only thing the GA's asked to see was the green check mark on the ED document. No test results were ever asked for until we arrived at AUA. Fortunately for us my wife's results arrived sometime while we were in the air between MIA and AUA. She presented the test results electronically on her phone at AUA, so no testing or quarantine at AUA was required.