Jetblue Expands Testing Options for Customers Over the Holidays and Into 2021
JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) has introduced a streamlined testing and verification procedure for travelers to Aruba, in partnership with the Aruban government and testing provider Vault. Starting in early 2021, customers can take an at-home PCR test and receive results digitally via CommonPass, easing entry into Aruba without quarantine for negative cases. Additionally, JetBlue is expanding testing partnerships in Grenada and Puerto Rico. A new testing facility will open at Boston Logan International Airport, enhancing travel convenience and safety amidst COVID-19 challenges.
- Introduced seamless testing for Aruba boosting traveler confidence.
- Expanded at-home testing acceptance in Grenada and Turks and Caicos.
- New XpresCheck testing facility to offer rapid and PCR tests at Boston Logan Airport.
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JetBlue (NASDAQ: JBLU) today announced a new seamless testing and verification procedure for customers traveling to Aruba as the airline, the Aruban government, CommonPass, and the airline’s at-home testing partner, Vault, set plans to work together to streamline travel. Beginning in early 2021, JetBlue customers traveling to Aruba will be able to secure a test from home before travel using Vault’s supervised at-home PCR testing, results will then be securely provided to the customer and confirmation securely sent to CommonPass. Upon entry in Aruba, authorities will simply scan a CommonPass QR code from the customer’s mobile device, proving entry testing requirements have been satisfied.
The seamless process allows JetBlue customers to more easily comply with Aruba’s enhanced entry protocols, enabling arriving residents and visitors who have tested negative for COVID-19 to avoid quarantine. The process is designed to cut down on wait times for entry and the need for customers to provide medical documents to authorities. Results and other medical information are not shared with JetBlue or the Aruban government, simply a confirmation that entry requirements have been satisfied. CommonPass is a digital health pass that enables safer travel by allowing people to document their COVID-19 test and vaccination status on their mobile phone and share it in a privacy-preserving manner with airline staff and immigration officials.
“Aruba is proud to be the first government to participate in CommonPass to support the industry’s efforts to ensure international travel can occur safely,” said Danguillaume Oduber, minister of tourism, public health and sport of Aruba. “Now more than ever, we feel it is critical to innovate and adapt as a tourism destination by integrating technology that creates a safe and seamless traveler experience in line with our stringent health protocols.”
"Our goal at Vault is to deliver quick, accurate results to all, especially when it comes to travel and varying government entry protocols,” said Jason Feldman, Vault Health founder and chief executive officer. “Vault's partnership with JetBlue and CommonPass takes the convenience and safety of our highly accurate supervised at-home test and combines it with their technology to make traveling in the time of COVID easier."
“Without the ability to trust COVID-19 test and vaccine records across international borders, it is difficult for countries to feel safe opening their borders,” said Dr. Bradley Perkins, chief medical officer of The Commons Project and former chief strategy & innovation officer at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). “With trusted individual health data, countries can implement more nuanced health screening requirements for entry.”
With testing an important part of protecting each other and slowing the spread of COVID-19, JetBlue has stepped up messaging and reminders relating to testing. To ensure customers know how they can do their part, the airline has launched a landing page at jetblue.com/testing to help provide information on testing partnerships and requirements.
“For those traveling over the holidays to visit friends and relatives, testing is an easy way to both help ensure the safety of your loved ones, and to slow the spread of COVID-19,” said Joanna Geraghty, president and chief operating officer, JetBlue. “By providing the tools for our customers to access more at-home and in-airport testing, as well as the tools to securely validate those test results, JetBlue is meeting its commitment to the safety of not only our customers and crewmembers, but also of the communities we serve. We appreciate our partners working with us to make these options available to our customers.”
JetBlue’s At-Home Testing Partner Expands Reach
The value of JetBlue’s at-home testing partnership with Vault continues to grow as more destinations announce they will accept this convenient testing option for the entry of visitors and residents alike. Visitors and residents entering Grenada and the Turks and Caicos islands are now allowed to show a negative PCR test from Vault as part of satisfying entry requirements. It comes as a result of the airline’s initiative to work with destination regions to promote safer travel with easy testing. Aruba became the first Caribbean nation to accept the Vault at-home test for entry of JetBlue customers. Vault’s PCR test also satisfies all U.S. state testing requirements for entry and travel.
With testing an important part of slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, officials in Puerto Rico, one of JetBlue’s largest destinations, are urging customers to get tested, including the use of Vault’s at-home testing before travel. Vault’s PCR test is now an accepted method of testing to avoid quarantine on the island after arrival.
"Easy access to testing is a key as the tourism industry outlines the roadmap for resumption of safe and responsible traveling," said Carla Campos, executive director of the Puerto Rico Tourism Company. "By partnering with JetBlue and Vault Health to offer this simple at-home PCR saliva-based test alternative, we are confident that more JetBlue customers needing to travel to Puerto Rico will do so with pre-arrival testing; a requirement in effect to waive the 14-day mandatory quarantine.”
Expanded Testing Options in Boston
JetBlue is also making it easier and more convenient for traveling customers to receive COVID-19 testing in Boston, one of the airline’s largest focus cities, through a new partnership with XpresCheck. Starting in early January, XpresCheck will open a testing facility in JetBlue’s Terminal C at Boston Logan International Airport. The XpresCheck testing center will offer both rapid and PCR tests with appointments recommended.
The testing center, which will be located prior to security screening, will be available to customers who may want or need to be tested prior to travel, or those returning back to the Boston area. Currently, state officials require that all travelers returning to Massachusetts receive a negative PCR test result that has been administered up to 72 hours prior to arrival. Quarantine is not required after a negative result has been received. Travelers arriving in Boston will be able to simply walk off their flight, grab their bags, and obtain a test without another trip to a medical facility.
“We are pleased to welcome JetBlue to our network of airline partners. Our new partnership with JetBlue, starting in Boston, will bring the convenience of on-site COVID-19 testing to passengers whether traveling to a destination that requires a negative COVID-19 test for entry or returning to Massachusetts and seeking to test out of the state mandated quarantine. The availability of trusted, verifiable health status information, including test results, will continue to help get travelers back to traveling in 2021,” said Doug Satzman, XpresSpa Group chief executive officer.
JetBlue customers who are seeking more information or to make an appointment before and after travel should visit xprescheck.com. Customers should thoroughly research entry requirements for their intended destination to determine best timing for testing and accepted testing methods. Entry requ
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