Sep 25, 2020, 11:19 am
Last edit by: WineCountryUA
For general discussion of the Hawai'i test-out program and /or discussion of non-UA partners (CVS, Walgreens, your local provider, ....), please use COVID-19 - 14-Day Trans-Pac Arrivals Quarantine/Oct. 15 [Target] Pre-Arrival Test-Out
United Airlines Becomes First U.S. Carrier to Make COVID-19 Tests Available to Customers
1) Day of Travel Rapid Test option
GoHealth Urgent Care will offer at airport COVID testing for UA passengers traveling to Hawaii starting Oct 15
Appointments ??? Hawaii SFO COVID-19 Testing ??? (unverified)
2) Advance of Travel Option (The latest word is Hawai'i will not accept the mail-in option at this time -- change of mind?)
3) Drive thru test at SFO in advance of travel
Color has opened an (qualifying) in-person drive-thru testing site in a United Airlines parking lot right outside of SFO. $105
Customers taking the drive-through test option – administered by Color – can schedule an appointment in advance online and should make the appointment for 48-72 hours before their flight departs. Walk-in appointments will not be available. Once a customer takes the test, they will receive an electronic copy of their results in 24-48 hours. The testing facility is located at United's San Francisco Maintenance Center parking lot at 800 S Airport Blvd – a short drive away from the airport. Customers must take the test within 72 hours of their flight's departure and will receive their results electronically.
appointment link
For more non-airline specific info on Hawaii's test-out and quarantine programs, see
COVID-19 - 14-Day Trans-Pac Arrivals Quarantine/Oct. 15 [Target] Pre-Arrival Test-Out
Other carrier options
Hawaiian to offer drive-through testing at sites near SFO and LAX - $90 for results w/i 36 hours, $150 day of travel.
Oakland Airport will offer free COVID-19 tests for Hawaii-bound travelers (Oct. 15th)
United Airlines Becomes First U.S. Carrier to Make COVID-19 Tests Available to Customers
1) Day of Travel Rapid Test option
GoHealth Urgent Care will offer at airport COVID testing for UA passengers traveling to Hawaii starting Oct 15
- Presenting negative test results on arrival to Hawai'i officials will exempt the traveler from the 14-day quarantine
- Appointments are needed and with results in 15 minutes
- The ID NOW COVID-19 test is a rapid, molecular point-of-care test that detects COVID-19 in 13 minutes or less.
- Test location is arrivals level SFO International Terminal, pre-security
- Present cost is $250 (paid to the tester - GoHealth)
Appointments ??? Hawaii SFO COVID-19 Testing ??? (unverified)
I watched an interview with a representative from the testing company on Fox News today. The takeaways I got were:
- Test will be administered land side, not airside
- Part of the "agreement" is that a positive test will be shared with the local health authority and you will be unable to get through security, let alone board a plane
- The results are NOT shared with UA (or subsequently any other airline partner).
-A positive test will get you sent home if you are local or into local quarantine if not
- The test and paperwork take less than 20 minutes to process and get a result
- The intent is to expand to other airports and other airlines once the pilot is successfully rolled out
- There was no discussion of cost
- Connecting passengers would need to go landside for the test. If the test is positive UA would be notified to offload bags if necessary. That is the only "involvement" with UA
Those were the salient points that I remember. Others who saw the interview please add anything I missed.
- Test will be administered land side, not airside
- Part of the "agreement" is that a positive test will be shared with the local health authority and you will be unable to get through security, let alone board a plane
- The results are NOT shared with UA (or subsequently any other airline partner).
-A positive test will get you sent home if you are local or into local quarantine if not
- The test and paperwork take less than 20 minutes to process and get a result
- The intent is to expand to other airports and other airlines once the pilot is successfully rolled out
- There was no discussion of cost
- Connecting passengers would need to go landside for the test. If the test is positive UA would be notified to offload bags if necessary. That is the only "involvement" with UA
Those were the salient points that I remember. Others who saw the interview please add anything I missed.
- 10 days in advance request a physician-ordered Self-Collection Test from Color and return no earlier than 72 hours of travel (arrival to Hawai'i?) via overnight mail or to a dropbox at SFO.
- Color then processes those tests at their local, CLIA-certified COVID-19 testing laboratory and returns results via text and/or email within 24-48 hours.
- Present cost is $80 (paid to the tester - Color)
3) Drive thru test at SFO in advance of travel
Color has opened an (qualifying) in-person drive-thru testing site in a United Airlines parking lot right outside of SFO. $105
United Airlines COVID-19 testing program
United Airlines is partnering with Color to enable fast, reliable test results for people traveling directly out of San Francisco International Airport to Hawai’i starting October 15, 2020.
If you are traveling to Hawai’i on a direct United flight out of SFO, you should expect an email from United seven (7) days before your scheduled flight. Please contact United for more information at 1-800-864-8331 (1-800-UNITED-1).
United Airlines is partnering with Color to enable fast, reliable test results for people traveling directly out of San Francisco International Airport to Hawai’i starting October 15, 2020.
If you are traveling to Hawai’i on a direct United flight out of SFO, you should expect an email from United seven (7) days before your scheduled flight. Please contact United for more information at 1-800-864-8331 (1-800-UNITED-1).
appointment link
For more non-airline specific info on Hawaii's test-out and quarantine programs, see
COVID-19 - 14-Day Trans-Pac Arrivals Quarantine/Oct. 15 [Target] Pre-Arrival Test-Out
Other carrier options
Hawaiian to offer drive-through testing at sites near SFO and LAX - $90 for results w/i 36 hours, $150 day of travel.
Oakland Airport will offer free COVID-19 tests for Hawaii-bound travelers (Oct. 15th)
UA Pre-flight COVID Testing for SFO-Hawai'i (and other destinations)
Sep 24, 2020, 6:22 am
#1
Original Poster
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UA Pre-flight COVID Testing for SFO-Hawai'i (and other destinations)
United Airlines Becomes First U.S. Carrier to Make COVID-19 Tests Available to Customers
United teams up with GoHealth Urgent Care and Color to make COVID-19 testing easy to obtain for customers traveling from San Francisco International to Hawaii
Airline worked alongside Hawaii government to align tests to meet state requirements, so customers who return a negative result are not required to quarantine
Testing will be available starting October 15
Full story
Sep 24, 2020, 6:32 am
#2
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: No. California
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Hopefully, they will expand this to all Hawaii bound flights. But wonder what their capacity to test several hundred people and produce the results at SFO. Typically there is a flight to each of the islands departing around 9am. So conceivably 800 people could seek rapid tests around 7:30 every morning.
Sep 24, 2020, 7:08 am
#3
Join Date: Mar 2015
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It would be nice if they could add it to EWR so that they can start their new EWR-OGG route on time! It would also be beneficial for EWR-HNL as well.
Sep 24, 2020, 7:21 am
#4
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Hopefully, they will expand this to all Hawaii bound flights. But wonder what their capacity to test several hundred people and produce the results at SFO. Typically there is a flight to each of the islands departing around 9am. So conceivably 800 people could seek rapid tests around 7:30 every morning.
This is from the Hub post. Not sure they are contemplating testing for a morning bank of flights.
Sep 24, 2020, 7:46 am
#5
Join Date: May 2010
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And here I thought United was making all pilots take a Covid-19 test, pre-flight!
....need a third cup of coffee!
....need a third cup of coffee!
Sep 24, 2020, 9:03 am
#6
Join Date: May 2004
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Frankly, this would be a very positive step forward to do this for ALL flights! Without doubt it would yield superior results when compared to face masks which have very limited effectiveness.
Sep 24, 2020, 9:11 am
#7
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They're going to charge $250 per test. File this under "how to generate ancillary revenue from a pandemic."
Sep 24, 2020, 9:11 am
#8
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: San Francisco
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Posts: 3,300
The Abbott rapid test is an antigen test. I thought Hawaii was going to require a PCR test, which I didn't think the Abbott test was one. But hopefully United has worked this out with the Hawaiian government. Good news if indeed true.
Sep 24, 2020, 9:20 am
#9
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WHAT IS THE ID NOW COVID-19 TEST?
The ID NOW COVID-19 test is a rapid, molecular point-of-care test that detects COVID-19 in 13 minutes or less.
Sep 24, 2020, 9:33 am
#10
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Originally Posted by bloomberg
United said Thursday it will launch a pilot program on the Hawaii route starting Oct. 15, adding that it’s working with officials in the state to ensure that customers who test negative can skip a 14-day quarantine requirement.
(link: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/artic...-unlock-travel)
Sep 24, 2020, 9:40 am
#11
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Yeah, sounds like one would have to take two trips to airport for morning departures - one for testing in the 2nd or 3rd day before flight and a second for the flight. Works for SF area originators, not for connecting passengers. Afternoon flights probably OK with longer connections, or the mail option. $250? The Lt. Governor was talking $160 for one of the tests. Family of 4 - $1000. Ouch.
Sep 24, 2020, 9:47 am
#12
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I'm curious if this could be worked out for Canadians (we will likely still be quarantining on the way home, unless our government works something out with rapid testing here too, but you still need some quarantine as many false negatives apparently so a second test maybe) so we could fly to SFO direct then have a stopover of some length (a day perhaps, whatever), get tested, then continue on to Hawaii.
It'll be the invasion of maple leafs I would bet if so.
It'll be the invasion of maple leafs I would bet if so.
Sep 24, 2020, 9:51 am
#13
Suspended
Join Date: Feb 2008
Posts: 836
Exactly! I'd be happy to take a test before a flight and be allowed to not wear a mask. That would be the right approach.
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Sep 24, 2020 at 10:39 am Reason: OT content removed -- see Moderator note
Sep 24, 2020, 9:57 am
#14
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such as https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/32602122-post345.html
and https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/coro...ng-travel.html
Suspect the price will drop with time and more competition
Last edited by WineCountryUA; Sep 24, 2020 at 10:03 am
Sep 24, 2020, 10:01 am
#15
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1) Some will opt to not pay for tests and self-quarantine on arrival (mainly returning residents)
2) Others will take be taking the non-quick result tests and will be getting results after arrival.
3) United (or any other airline) is not going to police who or who has not taken the airport test w/ negative result
4) The testing protocol addresses solely the quarantine issue on arrival, not the mask requirement.
What's a "normal" life? Taking a vacation in Hawaii with the minor inconvenience of wearing a mask, or sitting at home because one refuses to? Hawaii (and United) will welcome the former. You still are required to wear masks in hotels, airports, stores, etc in Hawaii (regardless of a negative test result).
Last edited by IAH-OIL-TRASH; Sep 24, 2020 at 11:33 am Reason: remove period