One airline is flying past competition to offer free COVID-19 testing
United Airlines says it plans to begin offering free testing on select routes
(CNN) — Washington (CNN Business)In what could be a glimpse into the future of pandemic air travel, United Airlines will begin offering free coronavirus tests to passengers on select routes. United hopes the move will not only increase traffic on mostly empty transatlantic flights, but also spark international cooperation to break down travel restrictions.
“We firmly believe that testing is a key component of a multi-layered approach to safely opening travel across the globe,” United’s managing director of operations policy and support Aaron McMillan told reporters in a briefing call. “The pilot program will guarantee that essentially everyone on board just tested negative for Covid-19.”
“It would be a requirement for everyone on board to have that negative test result prior to flight,” said McMillan.
“United will share customer feedback of this pilot with governments on both sides of the Atlantic to further demonstrate the effectiveness of these programs as an alternative to mandatory quarantines or duplicative travel restrictions,” said a company news release.