Alaska Airlines to Offer Pop-Up Testing
Pre-flight COVID-19 checks for Hawaii-bound passengers are available at Carbon Health clinic in downtown Seattle
Despite ongoing questions about reopening parts of Hawaii to mainland travelers. Alaska Airlines, in partnership with Carbon Health, has announced it will offer rapid COVID-19 testing at its pop-up clinics along the West Coast, starting Oct. 12 in Seattle.
The state of Hawaii is set to begin welcoming back out-of-state visitors Oct. 15, when they test negative for COVID-19 within 72 hours of their final leg of departure to Hawaii, although some parts of the state may still require a 14-day quarantine on arrival.
Alaska joins other global carriers, including United, American and Hawaiian Airlines, to launch pre-flight rapid testing programs.
Tech-enabled health care provider Carbon Health will make rapid COVID-19 testing available at its pop-up clinic located at 220 6th Avenue North in downtown Seattle. Passengers will be able to make appointments, with priority testing for Alaska Airlines fliers from 9 AM until 7 PM PDT Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays beginning Oct. 12.
Test results will be ready within two hours at a discounted cost of $135.
In addition, Alaska has been working closely with the Port of Seattle on developing future opportunities for on-site testing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.
Alaska Airlines is starting in Seattle, as the carrier has focused the full return of twice-daily flights to all four major Hawaiian Islands from its largest hub starting Oct. 15.
Additionally, on Nov. 1, nonstop service to Hawaii will resume from Portland, Oregon; San Jose, California; and San Diego, California. Hawaii service will begin from Anchorage, Alaska, and Los Angeles on Nov. 20. Carbon Health is planning additional pop-up and full-service clinics for rapid COVID-19 testing in those Lower 48 cities in the coming weeks.
“Our guests have been eager to return to the Hawaiian Islands and we’re excited to be adding more ways to safely get them there,” said Sangita Woerner, Alaska’s senior vice president of marketing and guest experience. “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.”
Carbon Health utilizes the Abbott ID NOW rapid test, which meets the requirements of the state of Hawaii’s pre-travel testing program. Testing will be available for all Alaska guests – of any age over three months old – as well as for travelers to the state of Alaska, which also has a 72-hour testing requirement.
Alaska Airlines will continue to share available testing options with guests, including the state of Hawaii’s trusted testing partners, as the airline continues to expand its list of testing providers.
