United’s tagline “Connecting People. Uniting the World” is still relevant, but with updated safety measures. Now, United Airlines is the first U.S. airline to launch a COVID-19 pilot testing program for travelers.
Starting on October 15, customers traveling on United from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to Hawaii will have the option to take a rapid test at the airport or a self-collected, mail-in test ahead of their trip.
Partnered with GoHealth Urgent Care and Dignity Health, customers will receive results in approximately 15 minutes and will be available on the same day as their flight departing from SFO. The mail-in test option will be administered by Color and it is recommended that customers initiate testing at least 10 days prior to their trip and provide their sample within 72 hours of their trip.
As United Airlines has more flights to Hawaii than any other airline (with daily service from San Francisco), United is working closely with Hawaii officials to ensure that any United customer would not be subjected to the state’s current 14-day quarantine requirement.
“Our new COVID testing program is another way we are helping customers meet their destinations’ entry requirements, safely and conveniently,” said Toby Enqvist, Chief Customer Officer at United. “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 United Becomes First U.S. Airline to Offer COVID-19 Testing for Customers include a mandatory mask policy, antimicrobial and electrostatic spraying and our hospital-grade HEPA air filtration systems.”
United has also been the first U.S. airline to mandate masks for flight attendants, followed by customers and employees, as well as one of the first U.S. carriers to announce it wouldn’t permit customers who refused to comply with the airline’s mandatory mask policy to fly with them while the face mask policy is in place.
Other COVID-19 safety measures include touchless check-in for customers with bags, online health assessments, and use of Zoono Microbe Shield (an EPA registered antimicrobial coating that forms a long-lasting bond with surfaces and inhibits the growth of microbes) before year’s end. For more details on all the ways United is helping keep customers safe during their journey, please visit united.com/cleanplus.
