As Hawaii prepares to open its doors to travelers again, Alaska Airlines passengers in Seattle will have access to a pop-up COVID testing clinic that promises test results within two hours. Come October 15, if passengers heading to Hawaii have had a COVID test within 72 hours of arrival and come back negative, they can skip the 14-day quarantine and enjoy their holiday. Alaska Airlines wants to make this happen.
Have a test and skip quarantine in Hawaii
Seattle is Alaska Airlines' biggest hub. By mid-October, the airline will operate twice-daily flights to all four major Hawaiian Islands. The airline wants good loads on these flights and is working hard to help passengers skip the quarantine requirements.
"Our guests have been eager to return to the Hawaiian Islands, and we're excited to be adding more ways to get them there safely," said Sangita Woerner from Alaska Airlines.
"By assisting our guests with convenient testing options as they prepare for their trip, we're working together to help keep each other, and Hawaii, safe."
Alaska Airlines has teamed up with a private health care provider. Located in downtown Seattle at 6th Avenue North, Carbon Health will offer priority testing for all Alaska Airlines passengers. Appointments for tests are available during business hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.
For passengers off to Hawaii, testing will be available from October 12. Testing is also available for all Alaska bound passengers. Alaska has a similar 72-hour rule to Hawaii.
Alaska Airlines' COVID testing will cost $135 per passenger
Note that the service isn't free. It will cost US$135 per person. Testing is available to any eligible passenger over three months of age. While the sum is not necessarily a deterrent if traveling solo, it can add up considerably if traveling as a family group. The airline says this is a discounted price.
Nonetheless, Seattle Airport warmly welcomed the initiative.
"We all recognize that there is no one path forward for defeating COVID-19 and no one solution that will work for every travel situation," said Lance Lyttle, Managing Director at Seattle -Tacoma International Airport.
"We appreciate Alaska's shared commitment to providing new health services to customers at SEA. Multiple measures and new partnerships like these are essential to achieving a safe and full reopening of our economy."
Despite a slump in travel demand, Alaska Airlines is maintaining services to 115 destinations around North America. The airline will resume flights to Hawaii from Anchorage, Alaska, and Los Angeles in early November.
By then, Alaska Airlines and Carbon Health plan to offer COVID-10 testing facilities in these cities to facilitate easy, stress-free travel to Hawaii.
COVID testing gets left to private enterprise
While the testing facility is a handy option for travelers, once again, it has been left to private enterprise to set up and run the testing. It is a trend that is becoming more and more common. Governments are leaving it to airlines and airports to develop ad hoc testing arrangements.
Private enterprise may do things more efficiently. However, there's a lack of reciprocity, consistency, and uniformity when it comes to private enterprise COVID-19 testing. Only government involvement can overcome that. Until this happens, any large scale rebound in the airline industry will get held back.
In the absence of government involvement, if Alaska Airlines wants its Hawaii routes to prosper, they have to take matters into their own hands. With the airline planning to roll out a series of COVID-19 testing clinics up and down the west coast, it looks like they are settling in for the long haul.
More information on the Seattle testing clinic, including scheduling an appointment, will be available after October 5 on the Alaska Airlines website.