Kryssa

We will be flying SFO-KOA in December on United for a 7 week stay. Has anyone done one of their 15-minute COVID tests in Terminal A at SFO?

I'm trying to get a sense of how hard it is to get an appointment if you log in the same day you get the email (likely within a few hours of receiving it) and if they take walk-ins. The information from United says no walk-ins but I saw on Reddit a random user said they saw several walk-ins being taken.

I was less concerned when I booked the flight because they used to allow you to enter Hawaii and quarantine until your results arrived. So if your results were a day or two late, you were only confined for that period of time. Now all late test results cause a full 14-day quarantine, so if the results don't arrive from a non-rapid test (and seems like many are not making their timeline commitments these days) it would create a big headache.

Thanks for any advice.

Often1

Under no circumstances would I rely on a walk-in when UA specifically says that they are not available, just because I saw something posted on an anonymous bulletin board. Indeed, the post may have been true when posted. Demand for those tests will only increase because of the new restriction, e.g. late tests mean 14-day quarantine.

Why take the risk? I would book the instant it is possible to book.

Kryssa

Yes, of course. We currently have two non-rapid tests booked, one says same day results, the other says 48 hours, which is barely enough. I will also try to book the 15-minute test for 3 hours before departure if I can, I just wanted to see if other flyers have found appointments available within a few hours of getting the United email. It's not like I can stay up all night waiting for it.

gaobest

have a great trip!!

have you seen the Hawaii forum about tests? Maybe it’ll help? :-)

WineCountryUA

Some relevant threads -- UA forum and experiences with the two UA related testers,
UA to Pilot Pre-flight COVID Testing for SFO-Hawai'i
and

Hawai'i forum -- looking at a broader group of testers
COVID-19 - 14-Day Arrivals Quarantine/Pre- and Post-Arrival Test-Out Policies

Kryssa

We were able to log in and book the 15-minute test today, we will be getting tested a bit over 3 hours ahead of our flight next Saturday. I could tell there were others sniping for the popular times, so if you're reading this because you also want the 15-minute test at SFO, make sure you're logging in exactly 7 days before you want to test, down to the minute.