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The real scoop on airport and travel COVID testing and why you need to prepare ahead of time or risk losing your flight!


Intercasa

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This month, January, 2021, many governments announced restrictions for those who travel by air in order to control and contain the coronavirus / COVID and its variations and new strains popping up. 

These governments have required airlines to enforce pre-flight testing. 

All tests are not equal.  There are viral tests and antibody tests.  The CDC states that all passengers are required to get a viral test 3 days before travel.  This is the nose or mouth swab test. 

Many laboratories and even hotels or tourist operators offer rapid tests but they may not meet the airline or government guidelines and therefore will not be honored. 

Not all countries and airlines follow the CDC guidelines.  This means that some may require a test 7 days in advance, another 3 days in advance.  If you have layovers in different countries and with different airlines you may have to research all their policies and make sure you comply with the strictest of the policies.

Here in Mexico you receive test results in Spanish.  The United States and most of their national airlines will accept the results in Spanish.  England will accept in English, Spanish or French.  The Czech Republic will only accept in Czech or English and Korea only in Korean or English.  You need to check with each country you will be in as well as the airline to see if they will accept the language your results are in.  We can translate your results from Spanish to English as we are official translators on the Federal / State court lists as well as on the Consular / Municipal lists and besides quality work, we have the credentials to be accepted internationally while others may not. 

How will you receive the results?  Will the airline you fly on and countries you land in accept digital test results or do they want physical copies?  Will the airline you fly on and countries you land in accept a digital translation or do they want physical copies? 

Airports are offering tests for travelers but the traveler needs to make sure the results will be accepted by all the airlines they fly on and countries they go to or have layovers in. Waiting to do it all at the airport allows no time for error to get any needed translations or to find out that you received digital results and further on in your trip you may be asked for physical results.

Worksheet to not miss your flight

 Airline 1_____________________    Test type_____    Test time before flight 3 days [  ]  5 days [  ]  7 days  [  ]

 Test results  Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]   If results need to be translated, what language __________   Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]  

 

Airline 2_____________________    Test type_____    Test time before flight 3 days [  ]  5 days [  ]  7 days  [  ]

 Test results  Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]   If results need to be translated, what language __________   Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]  

 

Airline 3_____________________    Test type_____    Test time before flight 3 days [  ]  5 days [  ]  7 days  [  ]

 Test results  Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]   If results need to be translated, what language __________   Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]  

 

Country 1_______________ Test type_____    Test time before flight 3 days [  ]  5 days [  ]  7 days  [  ]

 Test results  Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]   If results need to be translated, what language _________   Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]  

 

Country 2_______________ Test type_____    Test time before flight 3 days [  ]  5 days [  ]  7 days  [  ]

 Test results  Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]   If results need to be translated, what language _________   Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]  

 

Country 3_______________ Test type_____    Test time before flight 3 days [  ]  5 days [  ]  7 days  [  ]

 Test results  Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]   If results need to be translated, what language _________   Digital [   ]  Physical  [  ]  

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6 minutes ago, Intercasa said:

Airports are offering tests for travelers but only after they check their baggage and pass through security so that allows no time for error to get any needed translations or to find out that you could get digital results and further on in your trip you may be asked for physical results.

 

The Guadalajara Reporter says this about the testing facility at GDL airport: 

The testing laboratory at the Guadalajara International Airport was installed on January 25, GAP confirmed, and will operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is located in the main parking lot, on Level 2 behind the stairwell and restroom.

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I will confirm that as we spoke to Grupo GAP and they told us otherwise

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43 minutes ago, Intercasa said:

 

 

Airports are offering tests for travelers but only after they check their baggage and pass through security so that allows no time for error to get any needed translations or to find out that you could get digital results and further on in your trip you may be asked for physical results.

 

Question If a negative test is required at check in to get a boarding pass........ how does one get a boarding pass to then go and get the test???

 

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We will confirm, the whole point of me writing this is for each person to investigate their specific case / circumstances and not wait and let it all happen at the airport where it may be too late.  Do airlines now not offer the print your boarding pass at home option?

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9 minutes ago, Intercasa said:

We will confirm, the whole point of me writing this is for each person to investigate their specific case / circumstances and not wait and let it all happen at the airport where it may be too late.  Do airlines now not offer the print your boarding pass at home option?

You can not print a boarding pass for an international flight at home. They must check you passport and any visas needed physically at check in.

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GOING TO TRAVEL?

Due to the contingency of COVID 19 and by provision of the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC) and the Secretary of Health as a requirement to travel, you must fill out the "Questionnaire for Identification of Risk Factors in Travelers" by clicking on the following link:

Do not forget to print the confirmation code that you will obtain or take a screenshot of it.

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Guadalajara airport info page.

The laboratory is located on the second level of the parking lot and is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The cost of the tests is $ 1,450 for PCR tests and $ 450 for rapid antigen tests. In order to have enough time to obtain the result of their test, passengers are requested to arrive at least 4 hours before the departure of their flight.

http://www.aeropuertoguadalajara.com/

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4 minutes ago, InChapala1 said:

Wondering how they are able to produce PCR test results in 2-3 hours.

Based on public information a PCR test requires 5-6 hours in a laboratory that has all the equipment necessary. 

Once at the lab, the specimen is processed, which means lab workers extract the virus’s RNA, the molecule that helps regulate genes.

“That step of cleaning, the RNA extraction step, is one limiting factor,” said Cathie Klapperich, vice chair of the department of biomedical engineering at Boston University. “Only the very biggest labs have automated ways of extracting RNA from a sample and doing it quickly.”

After the RNA is extracted, technicians also must carefully mix special chemicals with each sample and run those combinations in a machine for analysis, a process called polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which can detect whether the sample is positive or negative for COVID.

“Typically, a PCR test takes six hours from start to finish to complete,” said Kelly Wroblewski, director of infectious disease programs at the Association of Public Health Laboratories.

https://khn.org/news/what-takes-so-long-a-behind-the-scenes-look-at-the-steps-involved-in-covid-19-testing/

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