AA DFW Covid Test for Hawaii
 

Hello. I have a flight from BNA connecting in DFW then off to HNL with my family of 4. I see that AA (CareNow) is offering a rapid 15 min Covid test in the DFW terminal so we would not have to do the 14 day quarantine upon arrival. We only have a 2 hour connection. Has anyone done the DFW airport rapid test for a Hawaii flight? If so, does it go pretty quick or has anyone seen long lines? Want to make sure we have the time to test even if there is a short delay. Local tests by me are sometimes taking 3-6 days for results so I don't want to risk not getting results before the flight and having to quarantine when we get to hotel. Local rapid testing places by me are not on Hawaii's "approved testing partners list" so does not seem like local rapid testing is an option. Any feedback is appreciated.

You can simply forget that. CareNow is not a trusted partner by the State of HI:

https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel-partners/

A pure matter of risk tolerance. A delay of any magnitude means that you either do not have time for the test or no show. The former means a quarantine. The latter means anywhere from a major inconvenience to having to purchase new tickets (depending on fare rules).

If I were considering this, I would change (no change fee) to the night before and spend the night at any number of properties at DFW.

Hi Gary.

I noticed the same thing but AA's own website (pasted below) says that they are approved but agree your official link does not list them so not sure who is correct. I am going to call AA to see if I can get some clarification.


We recommend using one of our testing partners to be exempt from the 14-day quarantine. You can also use other test methods, but only results from testing partners approved by the Hawaii department of health will be accepted.

Testing must be completed within 72 hours of the final leg of your trip. You’ll show your results from at-home or in-person testing to Hawaiian officials.

Testing availability
LetsGetChecked
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)

Onsite airport rapid testing
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)

CareNow clinics
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW)

I looked through the list of Hawaii trusted partners. The vaulthealth.com at home saliva test looks most convenient and then I don't have to worry about testing at airport if delayed. Appreciate the feedback.

Just in case anyone else is interested, AA customer service said that CareNow is approved as a trusted partner. Makes sense because not sure why AA would partner with CareNow and tell you to use them if they were not approved. Would only take the first flight to HNL and irate passengers calling back from quarantine for them to figure out they were not approved. I am not going to risk the short connection so will test before leaving.

Good read here: https://crankyflier.com/2020/11/03/p...-a-better-way/

Net: Tests via American are allowed, bring printed test results, and expect to show results elsewhere around HI.

FWIW, I took the Vault saliva based test recently as a precaution after returning from a work trip (no symptoms or known COVID contact - just being careful). The test took two days to arrive at my house. I took the test on a Monday morning and my wife immediately dropped it at a UPS store. UPS delivered the test to Vault (Piscataway NJ) Tuesday morning. Vault acknowledged receipt of the test Tuesday evening, and emailed me the (negative) results Wednesday around 2:00pm. So all in from time of administering test to receiving results was around 52 hours (YMMV!).

You can download your test results from your account page on the Vault site and they note the dates of the test and of the result. They also state under the description of the test that it is a:

There are several threads similar to this under Forums > Destinations > America > USA > Hawaii, including this one:

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/hawa...nces-only.html

Although CareNow is not listed separately under Hawaii's list of tested partners, they are a subgroup under American Airlines. My negative test from a CareNow facility <72 hours prior to departure allowed me to avoid the 14-day quarantine 3 weeks ago. Of course, HI's requirements are constantly being modified, but what AA told me would work did.

Regarding your question about testing within a 2-hour layover, that would be tight, especially if changing terminals at DFW, but it's not impossible. Again, the threads on this under "Hawaii" will provide more insight.

Also, be aware that not all CareNow facilities in the DFW area are offering the test required by HI. The information on AA's website should list only those facilities that are participating in the program. Good luck.

We are going to do Vault. We have an 11 year old traveling with us so that puts it over the top. I'm a member of several Hawaii FB groups for Marriott Vacation Club Hawaii locations. Several people complained about not taking the right test because they "hadn't read the whole website". One person just flew back the next day.

I have an 11 year old as well so Vault sounds best. Spitting in a tube sounds a lot better than a swab tickling my brain. :)

Def. I have had two swab tests. One for Aruba and one before a medical procedure. They were OK, but this is better. We also noticed that several providers won't test under 13 (I think 13-in any event-it was more than 11).

Sharing my experience using the in-terminal CareNow test facility at DFW airport this week. My route was LHR-DFW-HNL with an overnight at the convenient Grand Hyatt at DFW.

As of right now, CareNow is not explicitly listed as an approved provider on the Safe Travels Hawaii website, but it is indeed part of the approved partnership with AA and their test results are indeed accepted by the state.

It was easy to “check in” online for an appointment at my preferred time, about four days in advance. It might help others to know that, in the context of CareNow, “check-in” means “schedule an appointment”. So I would recommend that you "check in" as soon as you know your travel plans.

Although it doesn’t specify this on the CareNow website, the test site is airside, in the south end of the connector between terminals B and D. The nearest gate is D40 but the site is not at D40.

Being airside, it would be a tricky situation if you were to test positive. The paperwork you are required to sign in order to use the test facility indicates that the test results will be shared with AA. Who knows if they actually do that, but if you test positive, then perhaps they will have to offload your luggage.

There were two people in line when I arrived, around 9:15 am. The test site is quiet and comfortable. I filled out some paperwork and was called into a test cubicle within two minutes.

A nice nurse came in and swabbed my nose -- note it was just my nostrils, not the long or deep swab that exists in other places. Because of work, I’ve had lots of COVID tests, long swabs and short swabs, and this was the easiest of all. Felt like it went about half an inch into my nose. Not painful or uncomfortable in the slightest.

They told me to wait in the testing cubicle for my results, which took about 15 minutes. The results are presented on a piece of letter size paper with the test company logo at the top, your personal details handwritten on the left side, and the sticker printout from the lab machine stuck on the right side.

Nobody was rushing me to leave, so I stayed in the cubicle for long enough to scan my test results and upload them to the Safe Travels Hawaii website. By the time I reached the Admirals Club at gate D24 a few minutes later, the document status had changed from “Verification in Process” to “COVID NEGATIVE”.

All in all, a very easy and smooth process. This will be my preferred LHR-HNL route for the foreseeable future :tu:

Probably better to do it at home. What if AA refuses to transport you home (or anywhere) upon a positive test?

Good point. Testing upon arrival anywhere is risky because if you happen to test positive (even without symptoms), the one thing they WON'T let you do is hop on a plane to go back home!

Should make anyone want to consider.....do you have a PLAN if that were to happen? Could you take 14 days off work (or work remotely) during your period of mandatory isolation? Could your kids do 14 days of remote school with a multi-hour time difference?

Yes, that's one of the possibilities I had considered in advance, of course. Fortunately, I had a plan in place in the event that I tested positive. Will do the same thing next time (next month) :tu: