After the COVID-19 pandemic literally grounded air travel for a while, airlines and airports are doing their best to put fliers at ease. With coronavirus test results becoming almost as important as your passport or ticket in 2020, testing is one of the ways by which airlines are trying to woo their customers. With holiday travel starting to take off, airports and airlines across the country are offering COVID-19 testing as a way to get travelers back in the skies.
Here are some of the airports already offering pre-travel coronavirus testing.
Airports offering coronavirus testing before flying:
Alaska Airports Covid Testing
10 airports in Alaska, including the three primary airports – Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Juneau International Airport, and Ketchikan Airport, all offer onsite Covid-19 testing. These tests are also offered as a part of Alaska’s entry requirements – travelers need to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours before or take a COVID-19 test upon arrival in Alaska. Testing at the airports is free for Alaska residents, but nonresidents have to pay $250 for a test at the airport.
Arizona Airports Airport Covid Testing
Arizona’s Governor has instructed the state’s Department of Health Services to make arrangements for coronavirus testing in the state’s airports. This includes Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport, and Tucson International Airport. Once this is done, COVID-19 testing will be available onsite for travelers arriving and departing from these Arizona airports.
Boston Logan International Airport Covid Testing
Boston’s Logan Airport has an XpresCheck coronavirus testing facility in the International Arrivals area. This facility can administer more than 400 COVID-19 tests per day. Travelers can choose from a rapid molecular COVID-19 test, a PCR test, and a blood antibody test, based on the requirement of the destination they’re traveling to. Massachusetts requires visitors to produce a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of their arrival.
Bradley International Airport Covid Testing
Travelers can get coronavirus testing done at the Bradley International Airport by showing a copy of their boarding pass. Pre-registering for the test online is encouraged. The tests cost $125. A drive-thru coronavirus testing site is functioning at the airport’s Parking Lot 3 on Schoephoester Road.
Covid Testing at San Francisco International Airport
Passengers flying on United Airlines to Hawaii can get a rapid COVID-19 PCR test at San Francisco on the day of travel (with a prior appointment) for $250. Hawaiian Airlines offers preflight coronavirus testing out at SFO via a drive-through nasal swab option near the airport. SFO, in partnership with Dignity Health–GoHealth Urgent Care, offers COVID-19 testing in the international terminal’s main hall prior to security and is open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Covid Testing at Oakland International Airport
Oakland Airport offers free, onsite coronavirus testing for passengers flying to Hawaii. Oakland International Airport also provides free testing for the public at the airport’s North Field complex from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport Covid Testing
American Airlines will offer free COVID-19 tests to some passengers traveling from Dallas Fort Worth Airport. Passengers traveling from DFW to Hawaii can get a rapid PCR test on the day of their travel for $249 and get their test results in about 15 minutes. Passengers can get tested at the CareNow testing stations in the airport for $150.
John F. Kennedy International Airport Covid Testing
JFK Airport has coronavirus testing at the XpresCheck testing facility at JFK, located in Terminal 4, pre-security. It’s advisable to make an online registration ahead of your travel. Another COVID-19 testing site in JFK is in JetBlue’s Terminal 5. This site provides free, walk-in testing all through the week, from 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.
Covid Testing at Newark International Airport
The XpresCheck site at Newark offers rapid molecular tests, PCR tests, and antibody tests. Online reservations are preferred, but walk-ins are also accepted. United Airlines offers rapid tests to all passengers over the age of two on selected flights from Newark Liberty International Airport to London’s Heathrow Airport.
LaGuardia Airport Covid Testing
A free coronavirus testing site has been set up at LaGuardia Airport by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in collaboration with NYC Health & Hospitals. Testing is free here for all passengers, and no insurance is required. The center offers testing all through the week from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and no appointment is needed.
Los Angeles International Airport Coronavirus Testing
Los Angeles Airport is providing onsite coronavirus testing at three interim testing sites currently. Ab onsite rapid-testing lab is set to open the first week of December to cope with the expected spike due to holiday travels. The three testing centers are located at Terminal 2, Terminal 6, and Tom Bradley International Terminal. The test will cost travelers $150.
Minneapolis Airport Covid-19 Testing
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) offers for air travelers, airport employees, and also the general public. The testing facility is located in Terminal 1 of the airport. The test offered at MSP Airport is not a rapid test that can be used right before travel. It is a  PCR saliva test and it will take 24 to 48 hours to receive the results.
Tampa International Airport Coronavirus Testing
In collaboration with BayCare Health System, Tampa Airport is offering both a rapid antigen test and a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test inside the airport’s main terminal. Coronavirus testing services will be provided seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. PCR tests cost $150, and results are available in 48 hours.
Covid Testing at Burlington International Airport
Vermont’s Burlington Airport offers coronavirus testing at the airport. This includes ddPCR (Droplet Digital Polymerase Chain Reaction) tests and rapid flu diagnostic tests. The testing center is open 7 days a week, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Airports and airlines hope that these testing centers will offer peace of mind for passengers ahead of holiday travels. If you’re planning to travel soon, be sure to take all the precautions mandated by the CDC and the destination you’re traveling to. You should also consider booking your airport parking spot online ahead of your travel. That way you can avoid running the risk of infection by using public transport.
