Coronavirus News

American Airlines offers free trial COVID-19 test to encourage flying

It's a 3-part test and if you pass, then away you go.

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

Fort Worth-based American Airlines and British Airways have launched an optional coronavirus trial test on select flights between the United States and London Heathrow (LHR).

According to a release, the objective of this and other trials is to validate that a pre-departure test provides a high level of certainty of a passenger being COVID-19 negative, with the ultimate goal of relaxing US and UK border restrictions, including the 14-day quarantine and entry into the U.S.

Per current UK policies, international travelers arriving in the UK from the U.S. must self-isolate for 14 days even if they have tested negative for COVID-19.

The tests will be free and will initially be offered to eligible customers booked on the following flights ("AA" = American Airlines, "BA" = British Airways):

AA50 departing Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) to LHR
BA114 departing New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to LHR
BA268 from Los Angeles (LAX) to LHR

The test will be expanded to AA106 from JFK to LHR, at a date TBA.

Eligible customers will be contacted by the airlines with instructions on how to volunteer. Each participant will take three tests; if they test positive, they should reschedule or cancel their flight.

The trial for each individual passenger will involve:

Initial at-home test taken 72 hours before departure from the U.S.
Second test, upon arrival at London Heathrow Airport
Third test, taken three days after arrival in the UK

The first test is an at-home RT-PCR test provided by LetsGetChecked. Customers self-collect a nasal sample, under the supervision of medical professionals via a virtual visit.

The second test takes place after landing at LHR. The LAMP test, provided by Collinson, involves the collection of a nasal sample by a medical professional. After that test is completed, cusomers get a kit for the third test.

The third test is like the first: an at-home test in which customers self-collect a saliva sample, three days after arrival in to the United Kingdom.

The third test is intended to confirm the results of the first two tests, and to demonstrate that one or two tests are sufficient.

A task force comprising Oneworld member airline representatives and independent medical experts are overseeing implementation of the trial. They'll share results with the U.S. and UK Governments and other stakeholders.

Prior to the pandemic, American Airlines and British Airways flew to more than 30 destinations in the U.S. from London. Today, they're flying a fraction of that figure: Previously, they were doing 111 flights a week from London to New York; that number is now 14 flights per week combined between the two cities.

American has already introduced a pre-flight COVID-19 testing program for customers travelling from the U.S. to international destinations across the Caribbean and Latin America. The UK is a priority, says American Airlines chairman & CEO Doug Parker in a statement.

"The UK is a critically important business and leisure destination that our customers want to visit," Parker says. "We believe the results provided by this trial will be vital for reopening transatlantic travel safely."

And British Airways CEO Sean Doyle says that this model follows the example set by other countries such as Germany.

"We know people want to travel but our skies remain all but closed and the UK is being left behind," Doyle says. "Major economies like Germany are adopting testing to replace quarantine."

"We need the UK Government to introduce a system that allows travelers to take reliable, affordable tests before departure, so they are confident that fellow passengers are COVID-free," Doyle says. "For people arriving from countries with high infection rates, a further test on arrival should then release them from quarantine."

Data from industry body IATA suggests the risk of contracting COVID-19 on aircraft is low: 44 cases of COVID-19 recorded as linked to flights since the start of 2020.

A study issued on October 27 by Harvard University’s T.H. Chan School of Public Health found that face coverings are the most essential measure to reduce COVID-19 transmission while flying.

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Airline News

American Airlines launches new gate program to foil early boarders

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

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Fort Worth-based American Airlines has launched a new system to catch passengers who try to sneak ahead in line.

According to a release, the airline is deploying a program in which technology is used to deter passengers who try to board before their official boarding group has been called.

Passengers who try to board early will not only hear a beep when they scan their boarding pass, but a tattletale message will pop up on the scanner, alerting the American Airlines employee of the passenger's correct group.

The airline trialed this modern technology over the past month at Albuquerque International Sunport, Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, and Tucson International Airport. It will now be deployed at more than 100 airports across the U.S.

If a customer boards before their assigned group is called, the new software will not accept the boarding pass and instead makes an audible sound to alert the gate agent and customer that the group has not yet been called. In these instances, the American team member will invite the customer to rejoin the line when their boarding group is called.

According to a story in the NY Post, airline employees have a name for these people: “gate lice."

A statement from American Airlines says that those passengers who are paying for early access should get their just desserts. People who are paying extra are mad when others get the same benefits.

"The new technology is designed to ensure customers receive the benefits of priority boarding with ease," it says.

Surely a factor is the way American Airlines' current boarding system has become an exercise in the haves vs. the have-nots, with nine levels of boarding groups, from elite status members and credit card holders all the way down to the Basic Economy nobodies. It's gotten worse since the pandemic, with extra charges applied to every element of flying, including a charge if you want to choose your own seat.

As an explanation of why people might do it, the NY Post cites a theory that travelers try to get ahead "out of a tendency of conformity and a sense of competition."

Public shaming is a powerful motivator, and Larry David fans would surely agree that line-cutters should always be called out — but in this case, there is an actual valid reason for trying to get a jump in line, and that can be summed up in two words: overhead bins.

Too many travelers place their luggage in overhead bins that are not located over their seats. Who has not seen the guy breezily stash his suitcase in whatever bin is closest? And this is an inequity that is not addressed by flight attendants, who admittedly have enough on their hands.

But the fact remains that if you get on the plane when your boarding group boards, the odds are slimmer that your designated overhead bin is going to have room for your suitcase.

If the airline is not going to enforce the overhead bin situation, then it's hardly fair to blame gate lice for worrying about where their suitcase is going to end up — or worse, whether they'll face the horror of having to get their bag checked at the last minute because some other passenger stole their overhead space.

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American Airlines launches new gate program to foil early boarders