Covid Test to Fly

Morning All

Has anyone recently flown from Heathrow to USA.  If yes which Covid test did you get.    ITs slightly confusing. 

The UK Government site states the following is needed for USA (NAAT or antigen) 

United Airlines emailed today to say ANY antivirus test can be done.

Looking at the options in Heathrow there is  LAMP or Rapid Antigen.   

Interensted if any one has real knolwedge of which can be accepted.  (Rapid is cheaper!) :-)

I'm not flying to the US, but I have a flight to the Falklands in 10 days and have been told I must be able to show a negative PCR test result dated within 5 days of travel (in case we get delayed in Senegal on the way).  I'm eligible for a free PCR test on the NHS though as I'm an essential worker and I'm travelling for work, so I'm planning to book one at a drive-through site at the end of next week (it seems they only release appointments for the next day and no further out).

For US travel though, I'm just having a look on the CDC website (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/testing-international-air-travelers.html), and it says the following:

What types of SARS-CoV-2 test are acceptable under the Order?
Passengers must be tested with a viral test that could be either an antigen test or a nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT). Examples of available NAATs for SARS-CoV-2 include but are not restricted to reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), reverse transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (RT-LAMP), transcription-mediated amplification (TMA), nicking enzyme amplification reaction (NEAR), and helicase-dependent amplification (HDA). The test used must be authorized for use by the relevant national authority for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in the country where the test is administered. A viral test conducted for U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) personnel, including DOD contractors, dependents, and other U.S. government employees, and tested by a DOD laboratory located in a foreign country also meets the requirements of the Order.

Can I get a rapid test?
Rapid tests are acceptable as long as they are a viral test acceptable under the Order.

Does an at home test qualify?
The Order requires a lab report to be presented to the airline or to public health officials upon request. A home specimen collection kit that is tested in a laboratory should meet the requirements, if such methods have been authorized by the country’s national health authorities. A viral test conducted for U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) personnel, including DOD contractors, dependents, and other U.S. government employees, and tested by a DOD laboratory located in a foreign country also meets the requirements of the Order.

What is a verifiable test result?
A verifiable test result must be in the form of written documentation (paper or electronic copy) of a laboratory test result. Testing must be performed using a viral test (NAAT or antigen), and negative results must be presented to the airline prior to boarding. The test result documentation must include information that identifies the person, a specimen collection date and the type of test. A negative test result must show test was done within the 3 days before the flight. A positive test result must show the test was done within the 3 months before the flight.

I just flew to the US three weeks ago. I did the rapid antigen test, which was acceptable. It was £50, compared to over £100 for a PCR! Different places offer different fees for tests, so it's worth it to shop around. You have to take the test within 3 days of your flight.

Hi Karlee

Did you fly from Heathrow?  I notice via their web site there offering rapid antigen at £50 in drive thru which ideally would suit us or in terminal at £59..

Thanks in advance

Yup, it was Heathrow. I got my test done at a local pharmacy. They sent me the result via email, which I printed out before my flight.

Thanks Karlee Ill check if our local pharmacies offer it otherwise my wife will book in via heathrow they have plenty of availability at £50 for the Rapid one....

Heathrow's testing is done by the Collinson Group, who also does testing at Luton, Gatwick, Stansted and the O2.  I went to Luton the day before my flight because it's not a far drive from our home and I wanted to know it was sorted the night before my flight.  The agent who checked me in at Heathrow carefully scrutinized my test result even though I had uploaded it to the airline's website and it was preapproved.  Nobody asked about it when I arrived in the US.

Be sure to have your International Declaration Travel Form completed before you arrive at Heathrow.

Are you familiar with what's needed to return to England?  It was more difficult for me to find a COVID test that satisfied the UK requirements for my return.  If it's an antigen test it needs to include the name of the device.  The gov.uk website also specifies certain sensitivity thresholds the test must meet.

Thanks harcm

MY wife just used the East Midlands Airport testing (ran by same company as heathrow), as she like yourself wanted to get them before in case of any issues before flying from Heathrow to San Fran on Wednesday.    I Fly out in 2 weeks (hopefully) as her spouse with the reason on the declaration for travelling to see terminally ill grandparents.  I Am hoping by me travelling alone as a british citizen this will not cause an issue.

On the return I guess I should start looking not for somewhere in califorinia to get my pre return to uk test...

On the return I guess I should start looking now for somewhere in califorinia to get my pre return to uk test...

My husband just got a notification from British Airways about an antigen test you can purchase from a company named Qured before you leave the UK.  You take it with you, arrange an online appointment before your return, take the test during a video call and upload the results to the Qured website.  It's supposed to be valid for pre-arrival testing to the UK and also fit to fly to the US.

https://qured.com/covid-rapid-tests/

Hi Harcm

How did your husband get on with the Qured testing, ive just read reviews on them from NHS site and they were all bad in terms of none delivery etc etc....

Has anyone flown back from San Fransisco recently and found where you can get a pre 72 hour test there?

Thanks all

Hi Harcm

How did your husband get on with the Qured testing, ive just read reviews on them from NHS site and they were all bad in terms of none delivery etc etc....

Has anyone flown back from San Fransisco recently and found where you can get a pre 72 hour test there?

Thanks all

Wow - the reviews are terrible.  They're just as bad on Trustpilot.

He had a great experience.  He ordered a Fit to Fly test.  It arrived the next day and he scheduled an appointment. 

He clicked on the link 10 minutes before the appointment.  A few minutes later the appointment started.  The person walked him through the steps to take the test.  It took about 5 minutes.  He waited 20 minutes for the result, took a picture of it with his ID and emailed it to them.

They replied within a few minutes, including the Fit to Fly certificate.

Thats good to know,  I may ring up tomorrw and order the fly back to UK kit for when I come home.  I fly to SFO this coming weekend.  Hopefully they will let me in to USA :-)

Thats good to know,  I may ring up tomorrw and order the fly back to UK kit for when I come home.  I fly to SFO this coming weekend.  Hopefully they will let me in to USA :-)

I assume you're not a US citizen and your wife is?  Bring a copy of your wife's passport ID page and your marriage certificate.  We flew together last summer.  United put us in a separate queue when we checked in at Heathrow.  They took our marriage certificate and passports and spent about 10 minutes verifying us using both a computer and phone.

At US immigration he had to go to secondary inspection.  They looked  at the marriage certificate and both our passports.  The agent told us that if he travels without me he needs to have a copy of my passport.  It's probably not necessary, but I would bring a wedding picture and maybe a copy of another form of her ID, like a driver's license.

I hope it all goes smoothly.

Thank you,  I will gather all the stuff I need.  We were due to travel together this weekend coming up and booked together but my Wife had to go a week earlier as her grandfather suddenly died so yes im a little nervous travelling on my own due to all the restrictions now.  I have a copy of her passport, our marraige certificate, letter from hospital to say he is dying (sadly passed away so I may be able to get a email of death certificate) and my purpose for travelling is to be with my wife and family funeral...   fingers crossed it all works out...