BA to offer discounted rapid COVID-19 test kits for travellers to take abroad
 

This is great news. When I returned from the USA a couple of weeks ago we had to pay $300 each for a test. This test is valid for pre-arrival testing for travel to the UK. The official price is £39 but BA customers are entitled to a 15% discount using the discount code BATRAVEL15.

More details and to order look here: https://qured.com/returning-to-engla...source=website

If this is widely accepted, this is a brilliant step forward and well done BA and Qured

Their claim that it ensures a ‘fast track experience at the airport’ is a bold one. With people having to wait up to seven hours in a queue on arrival at Heathrow will this test swift them to the front of the queue? I presume not. I can understand how it might help at check in and boarding but not at immigration when there are already a thousand people in the queue when you arrive and only a handful of booths open processing those people.

The whole issue around making travel easier seems complex and needs sorting and although this seems like a good step forward it’s not going to solve some of the bigger issues. If the queues are seven hours with travel as light as it is now imagine what they will be like when larger numbers return.

As far as I know, there are no countries which accept a self test as evidence, it's always a lab result, sometimes even to specific technologies or languages the lab result is presented in.

The only issue I foresee is availability of slots for the video if each test takes 20 mins. One health advisor will be able to do 3 tests an hour so if there is 10,000 passengers a day you will need about 140 advisors working 24 hours a day to deal with everybody. This assumes you will be able to book slots 24 hours a day - which of course you will need to if you're on different time zones.

Its a step forwards albeit a small one.

Also assumes a good enough internet connection for a predictable and stable video call.

You appear to have missed the opening portion of that paragraph “Before they fly”. The fast track is a reference to the departure process, not arrival. Unfortunately airlines are at the behest of the Immigration Service when it comes to arrival formalities.

This test is approved by the UK Government for those travelling to the UK. This test is not being promoted for use to enable travel to other countries. You will find other tests are available on the links provided that would satisfy the requirements for those intending to travel to other countries and discounts are available to BA customers.

I disagree. This is a great option at a great price. I spent hours in the US trying to find a testing centre that could provide what the UK requires. When I did find one it was $300 each, 45 minute drive to the testing car park, 20 minutes wait to be done, a 45 minute drive back and then a 70 minute round trip the next day to collect the test results and certificate.

This option is £33.15 and can be done from the comfort of your hotel, office or home and results uploaded to the App 20 minutes later. That’s a huge step forward in my book. Especially when you look at the inconvenience and expense of the alternatives.

I think this is a massive step forward in helping some normality to return, especially if other countries start to accept it outgoing.

Now if only the NHS home test could be used that would be amazing. My wife it doing two of them a week currently being a teacher. Though on one verifies it was actually her that took the test.

Sorry if I miss one key point: is this test allowed as a valid test for arrival/returning into the UK? If so, it's the best thing BA did since they introduced Mount Gay rum on BoB.

Yes - this test is recognised as an approved test by the Govt for the pre-departure 72hr test to be taken before coming to the U.K.

Pilot37

Brilliant. In the super-remote eventuality that I need to travel somewhere in the next X months I know what to do!

And that’s why this test must be done remotely in front of a Qured Health Advisor for the results to be valid under UK law and a Fit to Fly Certificate issued.

I assume two of these can't be used instead of the £210 tests one has to buy, even if not staying long enough to use, after arriving in the UK?

Edit: Answered my own question. As expected, the answer is a clear No :)

So, to enter the country one must have a test administered by/in front of a health official... but to leave self isolation one must do the £210 NHS test by him/herself, correct? Isn't that a bit inconsistent?

If the UK government is prepared to accept this as a valid test result for arrival purposes then this is a brilliant step forward. It means that, given that the UK has surprisingly ran so far ahead of the rest of Europe with the vaccine roll-out, one does not have to faff around abroad to have a test done. Whether the rest of Europe allows UK arrivals is , of course, another matter and they will, of course, require a lab result.

I must be added that the price is extremely reasonable compared with the gouging that is taking place elsewhere - France is an exception. I was tested and it cost €0 -

Not really, the £210 (quarantine day 2 and 8) tests do not grant you entry to the UK and do not allow you to escape from your self-isolation or quarantine. Those tests are monitoring tests only. All positive results will be further analysed to check for any new variants coming in from abroad.

I was referring to the methodology of the test. In one case it must be done under supervision, in another I can do it by myself...

The supervision is a requirement for the purpose of establishing and confirming identity and to allow the subsequent issue of a Fit to Fly Certificate to permit travel to the UK.

It is not a requirement under the entry regime that a test is supervised. There is nothing preventing you doing an unsupervised home test kit (like the NHS one, but private) which gets sent off to a laboratory, and those tests are fine for entering the UK, even though it is quite obvious that you could use someone else's sample. But clearly no provider worth its salt is going to allow you to effectively self-certify a result at home.

For the purposes of this topic it is required. When you register with (and subsequently order a test from) Qured you must enter your passport number and name as it appears in your passport. This is a vital part of the VeriFly integration and part of the identification process that gives this test efficacy in validating the Fit to Fly certificate.

Once you've taken the test with the Qured Health Advisor you are required to take a clear photograph of the result placed next to your photo ID and email it to Qured for validation. Validations take approximately one hour.

But that's a Qured and/or VeriFly requirement, not a requirement for the test notification 'to be valid under UK law'.

It may well be a requirement as part of Qured's accreditation as a testing provider in the UK, but that's separate from the inbound testing requirement.

This is not a discussion about law, it is a discussion about the Qured 'Return to the UK' COVID-19 test. We are discussing an important development that will help those who need to undertake international travel and which will be of great interest to FlyerTalkers, especially once we are all allowed to travel again.

Let's try to avoid taking this off topic with distracting discussion where the laymen jump in and try to educate the lawyers in the intricacies of law and instead concentrate our efforts on the procedures and practicalities of this welcome development.

Do we know if countries will start accepting this to enter them? Would be a good enhancement!

My reading of the situation is that the day 2&8 tests are for tracking variants if/when they enter the country, mostly as a way to detect problematic countries and add/remove said countries from the red list/hotel quarantine list. That means that doing it yourself isn't an issue, since you're isolating anyway.

Just a word of warning - Qured do our corporate testing - they are TERRIBLE.

Expect lots of issues....

This is great news, however its a shame it has to be ordered to a UK address. I'm relocating back home to the UK in April so I may find a way of getting one posted here in the US.

I'm a British Citizen for what its worth.

Possibly. It will depend upon the country you are travelling to and that country's requirements.

Is there anyone in the UK you could have it sent to (Qured say it should arrive next day) and have it forwarded to you? There is no specific time you must use the test, once the kit arrives you book your online appointment to align with your flight plans.

Citizenship is irrelevant by the way, I suspect the only reason they will deliver to the UK is for logistical reasons.

I absolutely agree. I only jumped in because it was you who specifically raised the law in your post 15 and I didn't want readers to be left with the impression that a test to re-enter the UK needs to be either taken at a clinic in person or be supervised online - as that is not the case.

It's also worth clarifying that a 'Fit to Fly' certificate isn't needed to fly to the UK. All you need is a test certificate which has the relevant test and patient details. You do not need something specifically in relation to flying or with passport or flight details.

Anyway the option here looks to be a very convenient one.

Yep, could well be an option and worth doing for the cost saving.

Whether this specific scheme is accepted by other countries, if -- when implemented -- it works well, it may be a step forward in establishing post-vaccination "air corridors" on key routes. This may take some adjustments both by the UK and the other countries, but if the requirements can be harmonized, it would go a long way towards slowly turning the spigot back on.

I think the prices are coming down to that level in many places. BSL (Euroairport) does antigen tests for €40 (PCT tests are €100), although this means going to the airport to take it.

I really didn't want to get dragged in to this argument but it is important readers are not mislead in to a false sense of security. These discussions are distracting and likely to create confusion rather than assist those who are here trying to find reliable, accurate information about the legal requirements and this valuable new service.

I am not as confident as you are in your interpretation of the Regulation. I would urge those relying on your assertions to verify with the test provider that the test they propose to undertake is a 'qualifying test' and the notification to be provided is a 'valid notification' that properly satisfy the requirements of s.3A of the Regulation. We know for certain that the Qured 'Return to England' test under discussion here completely satisfies all the legal requirements for entry to the UK.

The wording of the Regulation is specific, it uses the expression "the test sample is taken from the person ...". Note the use of the word 'taken' rather than 'provided' or 'given'. Given the specific wording of the Regulation I am not confident your interpretation is as reliable or as clear-cut as you assert.

The Regulation also states that the notification of a negative test must include: "... the name of the person from whom the sample was taken ... that person’s date of birth or age ... the date the test sample was collected or received by the test provider ...". How can a s. 3A 'valid notification' be valid if the one charged with issuing the certificate has not verified the name and identity of the person who has provided the sample for analysis and is to be named on the certificate? How can they notify the date the sample was collected if they did not witness the collection? How can the notifier be sure the test is reliable if they have not collected the sample themselves, or supervised the individual who did collect the sample, to ensure it was properly executed?

I am not looking for answers to the questions posed, or to encourage any further debate on the subject, I raise them in an attempt to show why your assertions are not necessarily as clear-cut as you believe.

To conclude, my use of the term 'Fit to Fly' is deliberate and used to avoid confusion, my use of the term is consistent with the terminology used by Qured and British Airways in the description of the service being provided by them (see the BA press release in the OP).

That is fine. As I say, the very reason I came into this conversation is because I found your initial post 15 confusing! Never mind eh.

I'm sure we can all agree that travel rules right now are a complete mess for everyone and this test solution is fab news in helping to make it easier and cheaper.

I'm just curious what the issue was with the difficulty in terms of finding a suitable test provider here in the US? I haven't been back to the UK in a year but hope to be able to head that way soon and would obviously need a test. Was it here in Las Vegas, and where did you ultimately end up going? If it's easier to PM me than have the thread go off at a tangent that's fine too :)

Yes, in Las Vegas. I’ll PM you tomorrow with details when back at my desk - there are a couple of options and the law has been revised again since we did our tests mid-Feb so you might be able to to use one of the “cheaper” options ($175).

Bought mine today ahead of a trip starting Sunday. Well done BA.

Pease do feed back your experience, it will be interesting to learn how smoothly and effective the process is (or isn’t!) 👍