“As Hawai’i’s leading airline, it is critical to ensure that access to testing does not impede travel to Hawai‘i, for visitors or our kama‘āina (residents),” said Avi Mannis, senior vice president of marketing at Hawaiian Airlines, in a press release. “Our testing option will offer Los Angeles and Bay Area travelers superior value and we look forward to expanding the program and bringing additional choices to more of our gateway cities as we welcome guests back with our industry-leading Hawaiian hospitality, while keeping our community safe. We’re grateful to the state of Hawai‘i for its partnership in developing the pre-travel testing program.”
The new protocols are being introduced due to Hawaii’s plan to lift the mandatory quarantine on October 15 for visitors who present a negative COVID-19 test result (taken within 72 hours of arrival). Travelers will also be asked to complete a health form before making their way to Hawaii.
Hawaii is following the example of United Airlines, which announced earlier this month that it would offer COVID-19 tests to travelers heading to Hawaii through SFO. 