New Testing Program Will Allow US Travelers to Go to the Netherlands Without Quarantine

Those participating in the program will take a COVID-19 PCR test five days before their arrival in Amsterdam, followed by a rapid antigen test before boarding in Atlanta, and then a second PCR test upon arrival in Amsterdam.

Pieter Elbers, president and CEO of KLM, said in a statement, “This is a very important and great step forward. Until an approved working vaccine is available worldwide, this testing program represents the first step towards the international travel industry’s recovery […] All stakeholders need to work together on a systematic approach to rapid testing and build these tests into the passenger experience, so quarantine measures can be lifted as quickly as possible. This is fundamental to restore passengers’ and governments’ confidence in air travel.”

On December 19, Delta will also launch a pre-flight testing program to Rome, which would similarly allow passengers to skip Italy’s mandatory quarantine.