American Airlines Covid tests for U.S. travel are now all set. Results will help travelers avoid quarantines as long as two weeks.
The initiative for American Airlines Covid tests, which cost $129 each, is the latest from the airlines to attract more travelers. Air travel slowed down due to quarantine requirements.
American Airlines explained that the testing plan is the first from a U.S. airline that serves the domestic market.
LetsGetChecked is the company that provides the American Airlines Covid tests. LetsGetChecked advises travelers to get their tests at least five days before their flight.
Customers with bookings to any of the states that ask travelers to quarantine, such as New York, Massachusetts, and Maryland, can have their nasal swab test done at home. Once the test is taken, results can be released within 48 hours, the company said.
American Airlines net loss
American Airlines is one of the airline companies that suffered losses when the coronavirus pandemic hit the world.
The airline company’s revenue fell by 73% in the three months ended Sept. 30 to $3.17 billion from $11.9 billion a year earlier.
American Airlines net loss swelled to $2.4 billion in the third quarter from a $425 million profit a year earlier. American recorded a per-share loss of $5.54, surpassing analysts’ prediction.
American Airlines also joined the call for the government to release a new assistance package as the industry struggles due to the pandemic.
According to the International Air Transport Association (IATA), airlines globally are expected to report a fall in revenues this year amounting to $418 billion.
Meanwhile, Airport Council International (ACI) World claimed that airports would experience a decline in income of around $104 billion.
IATA director general Alexandre de Juniac pointed out that financial aid packages granted by earlier this year by various governments to their respective aviation businesses were designed on the assumption that by this time, a recovery would be well underway.
De Juniac added that it was not the case currently and that the industry was still suffering deep “financial trauma”. He argued: “Without a second tranche of financial aid, many airlines will not survive the winter.”
On the other hand, ACI world director-general Luis Felipe de Oliveira said that a similar financial pressure is also being experienced by airports. De Oliveira claimed: “We could see airports going bankrupt in a very short period of time.”
He explained: “ACI and IATA are aligned in calling for urgent government action to introduce widespread and coordinated testing of passengers to enable quarantine requirements to be removed.”
“Without this action, it is not an exaggeration that the industry is facing collapse”, he added.
Aside from the decline in revenues, the IATA projected in June that the airline industry may lose $84 billion in 2020 as air travel dropped by 98% in April compared to last year.
“We think airlines are going to probably lose an unprecedented $84 billion in 2020,” Brian Pearce, chief economist for IATA, told CNBC.
“We’re really only just starting to see countries negotiating bilateral openings of markets. For example, the Trans-Tasma bubble between Australia and New Zealand, China and Singapore, as well as China and Korea.”
