Traveling from LAX-LHR-GLA return experience
 

Not sure if I should post here or BA - I leave that to mods but here's a quick recap of my experience going from US to UK with Covid tests and so on..

Depart - June 11. From LAX - LHR - GLA.
Covid test (negative PCR) within 3 days of departure. Had a palaver with a few places, won't bore you with the details. Urgent care test - $240.00 - results within 48 hrs. (called BA.com (US) for verification - very friendly and will help you determine which test)
Had to get a home test for Scotland. Only ONE place was insisted upon (on the .gov.uk website for Scotland entries). Must have receipt of this home test paid and shipped to location before boarding. 175 pounds. (absolutely NO free NHS test OR the discounted ones that BA was offering for England).
Fill in passenger locator form.
Provided all 3, got through with no problem. LAX empty. Flight half full. Boarded First, Business then rest.
Arrived LHR. Transition through to get flight for GLA.
Arrived on a Sat and LHR - empty. First one in line for Immigration - he asked if I had: negative Covid and home test - asked if he wanted to see - he didn't.
Got home by taxi - took the day 2 and 8 test. Not one phone call to follow up.

Return: June 28th - GLA-LHR-LAX
Got free COVID test under NHS for PCR.
Show at GLA airport - through to flight.
LHR - filled in additional "don't have Covid paperwork" before boarding. BA says - we will board from back to front due to COVID blah blah then proceeded to board peeps with verify app... ehhhh...okay... then all other peeps that filled in the form...iow, as disorganised as ever.
Filled in ANOTHER form on board that you give to security when you arrive at LAX.
Went through Global - they take picture only (don't scan passport). Myself and 3 others gave photo receipt to immigration and waltzed right by - no passport, no paperwork, nothing.
Ok, maybe at the next hub... collect cases, walk to exit, 2 security guards reading papers and not asking anything from anyone. (had I known, I could have sneaked in some sausages! :))



Lemmie know if you have any questions about travel - glad to help.

Ha, it shows how much things are checked :). As I live in Scotland and I am travelling for business again, I spend a lot of time trying to keep up with the changing regulations. I have two comments regarding your case:

1. As you transited through LHR you did not have to use the expensive, no-choice, Scottish tests. You could have used one of the cheaper English providers and saved yourself some cash.

2. On the other hand the NHS PCR tests are not supposed to be used for travel and you were meant to buy a commercial one. Here you have saved some money, although you unknowingly ran the risk of being refused boarding as the test was ineligible for travel.

. Yeh... I chanced it :) Went extra early in case they refused boarding.

How does using the NHS results even work? Last time I got one they didn't give out certificates etc

No certificates, just an email/text of a negative test.

As the OP says, you do get an email and an SMS, and for those with the NHS app, negative tests registered show up in the NHS Covid Pass, so if you have the NHS app you could potentially use that as well as proof.