United Airlines announced Sept. 24 that it is launching a COVID-19 testing program for travelers in October.
The airline will roll out the program on Oct. 15 for customers traveling from San Francisco International Airport to Hawaii. Those customers will have the option of taking an Abbott ID NOW COVID-19 test at the airport or a self-collected test administered by Color that they can mail in before the trip.
The Abbott COVID-19 tests will be administered by GoHealth Urgent Care and their partner San Francisco-based Dignity Health. The test results will be available to customers on the same day as their flight departing from San Francisco.
United recommends that customers who choose the mail-in test option provide their sample within 72 hours of the trip.
"Our new COVID testing program is another way we are helping customers meet their destinations' entry requirements, safely and conveniently," Toby Enqvist, chief customer officer at United, said in a news release. "We'll look to quickly expand customer testing to other destinations and U.S. airports later this year to complement our state-of-the-art cleaning and safety measures that include a mandatory mask policy, antimicrobial and electrostatic spraying and our hospital-grade HEPA air filtration systems."