Christopher Chang

Here are the current restrictions for Tahiti travel... I've had a flight booked for end of August for a long time now (way before the virus) and still haven't cancelled yet. But how feasible is it for someone to get a test 3 days before traveling AND get the results back. Aren't most tests taking days at this point to get results (in NYC if that matters).A SARS-CoV-2 virus genome test (the SARS-CoV-2 RT-PCR test) has to be carried out by all travelers in a health authority center (hospital, clinic, medical centre, Covid-19 testing Center, or medical analysis laboratory) within three days before the flight to Tahiti (at the passenger’s expense).

Ex: If the flight departs on a Monday at 11pm, the passenger needs to take the test the preceding Friday and receive the test results between that Friday and the scheduled flight departure time on Monday.

KidDocDMC

Has anyone experienced the required COVID screening prior to boarding for Tahiti (PPT)? I have a flight on a Tuesday from SFO and am struggling to figure out where/how I can get a result within 72 hours of that departure.

HNLbasedFlyer

The UA flight doesn't start until August - and I'm skeptical that will stay on the schedule.

WineCountryUA

Welcome to FT!, KidDocDMC

Have moved your query to the Oceania where some prior similar queries have been posted, https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocea...-boarding.html

WineCountryUA
UA coModerator

justforfun

https://www.airtahitinui.com/us-en/c...ch-polynesia-0

https://reliantcovidtesting.com/

Maybe they have San Francisco locations? Or if not, maybe a day trip to LAX? That location is open 24/7 and has open availability.

KidDocDMC

I wish I lived in SoCal and could go to a Reliant site. We will be coming out of Detroit early on Tuesday morning.

justforfun

Have you looked at these places:

https://getwellurgentcareandoccmed.c...d-19-services/
https://www.meadowbrookbirmingham.com/

susiesan

Any news about how UA will handle the resumption of the SFO-PPT route scheduled for August? Will they accept a paper copy of the cover test when boarding the first flight of a journey if connecting in SFO to UA 115?

The first flight LAX-PPT went out last Wednesday, successfully. People are now visiting French Polynesia again. I am looking for reports of people there now, how did it go, what about the self administered test.

KidDocDMC

Just looked at the Relaint site. They say that the test takes 15 min to perform. Results are delivered in 72 hours. That'd be a long stopover in LA.

Mwenenzi

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/ocea...light-ppt.html

susiesan

If getting test results back 72 days prior to boarding a flight becomes a problem for pax not starting in SFO, and people are cancelling their trips to French Polynesia, the government will have to respond and lessen up the testing requirements. With the 2 cruises starting up soon, Paul Gaugin and Windstar, they cannot afford to sail with empty ships. The majority of people flying to PPT do not live in LAX or SFO and will need to be tested in their hometowns. FP relies on tourism and they will need to accommodate visitors if they want them to come.

I have a Windstar cruise booked for Jan. 14, 2021 with final payment due Oct. 6. Right now I have only $100 deposit in the cruise. My plane tickets on UA are awards. If the testing will be a problem I will cancel my cruise before final payment, and cancel the UA tickets under the travel waiver and not have to pay a redeposit fee. I won't be out anything but FP will be out thousands of dollars from just one couple. Multiply this out by thousands and this is a financial crisis for FP.

KidDocDMC

I agree that many people may get turned away from boarding in the first days and that the loss of tourism revenue is disastrous for many places around the world. I don’t know the internal politics in FP enough to know if the public health experts would succeed in an argument against letting potentially infectious Americans in. They could open things up like the Maldives or could go the way of Fiji and only allow Australians and New Zealanders. Europeans and many others don’t want us around at all.

CPMaverick

Or they could decide the health of their population is worth the loss in tourism dollars. And try to support or influence CA to improve their testing.

With the way the US is going. I don't think relaxing restrictions will be considered as the first option. If another cruise ship becomes a Covid nightmare that won't help their business one bit.

KidDocDMC

I agree, though it's not just CA that needs to improve testing, it's any potential origin for someone traveling outside of the US. For me, that would be MI.

KidDocDMC

...and to further support your point, the Bahamas just decided to close their borders to Americans, though we make up the vast majority of their tourists.