American Airlines To Offer Covid-19 Testing For Flights To Costa Rica

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In the middle of last week, American Airlines announced that it will be offering Covid-19 testing for passengers traveling between Dallas Fort Worth and Hawaii and that it is in discussions with various Caribbean states to offer that same on its routes out of Miami. Now American Airlines says that Costa Rica will be added to that list too.

Costa Rica is the first American Airlines destination for which preflight Covid-19 testing will be available out of more than one departure city – the airline will offer tests for passengers departing Dallas Fort Worth and Miami.

In Dallas Fort Worth, American will offer the same three options for preflight testing to customers with flights to Costa Rica as it plans to offer to travelers with flights to Hawaii:

  • At-home test from LetsGetChecked, observed by a medical professional via virtual visit, with results expected in 48 hours on average (cost: $119 per the LetsGetChecked website)
  • In-person testing at a CareNow urgent care location (cost: $250 if you’re not covered by insurance per the CareNow website)
  • Onsite rapid testing, administered by CareNow, at DFW (cost: not stated)

In Miami, and alongside the program already announced which will see pilot testing programs opened up for passengers traveling between Miami and Jamaica and the Bahamas, American Airlines also plans to start to offer preflight testing to customers with flights to Costa Rica. Initially, the only available option in Miami will be the At-Home test from LetsGetChecked but the airline says that it will make more options available after the program launch.

Testing must be completed within 72 hours of the final leg of departure. Tourists and Costa Rican residents who test negative will be exempt from the country’s 14-day quarantine. Negative test results must be uploaded to the country’s Health Pass.

No set date has yet been announced for preflight Covid-19 testing in Miami (15 October will see testing open up for passengers flying from DFW to Oahu and Maui) so all we know at this point is that the tests will be made available “in the coming weeks”.

Bottom Line

American Airlines has confirmed that it will begin offering preflight Covid-19 testing to its customers flying to Costa Rica from Dallas Fort Worth and Miami International Airport. No date has been announced for the start of testing but with American Airlines keen to get as many of its Caribbean and Central American routes back up and running as soon as possible, it’s likely that the tests will be available this month.