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Flying to Hawaii

dblanchette1
Explorer C

Has anyone flown to Hawaii from Mainland (USA) recently? I am very confused about how to get a NAAT Covid test within 72 hours. My 15 yr old daughter and I were supposed to have this vacation last April, But obviously, it kept getting delayed. Now I have finally changed VRBO, rental car, and flights successfully, the last thing to worry about is how hard it is to actually get results from NAAT Covid test within 72 hours. Also, I read we have to check in daily for 10 days?

If anyone has experienced this, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

16 REPLIES 16

Re: Flying to Hawaii

dfwskier
Aviator A

You can get a rapid test at the oakland airport. If you test positive,  the downside to that is that you're already in

oakland and can't fly to Hawaii.

 

https://www.oaklandairport.com/oakland-airport-offering-free-rapid-result-covid-19-airport-testing-p...

 

Check to see if your departure airport offers rapid tests. They are available in lots of cities. Check whether  yours does.

 

 As far as what you do after getting to Hawaii, this is all anyone here knows:

 

https://www.southwest.com/coronavirus/hawaii/

Re: Flying to Hawaii

PetertheProphet
Adventurer B

I recommend opting out of getting tested. Even if you're flying to Hawaii, you can use the Air Carrier Access Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the 4th amendment, and the 14th amendment in your favor. 

 

Southwest cannot make you get tested, and neither can the State of Hawaii.

Re: Flying to Hawaii

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

@PetertheProphet wrote:

I recommend opting out of getting tested. Even if you're flying to Hawaii, you can use the Air Carrier Access Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the 4th amendment, and the 14th amendment in your favor. 

 

Southwest cannot make you get tested, and neither can the State of Hawaii.


Flagged and reported to moderator as false information.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Flying to Hawaii

PetertheProphet
Adventurer B

Flagged and reported back for targeted harassment. You have the freedom to disagree, but hurling ad hominem and abusing the flagging feature is a violation of this community's guidelines. Please read the rules of this forum. 

 

I'm willing to have a civil, polite discussion with you, but you have to do your part and show me the same respect that I'm showing you. 

Re: Flying to Hawaii

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

Please stop posting lies and inaccurate information.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Flying to Hawaii

PetertheProphet
Adventurer B

I think you should look in the mirror because nothing I said was either dishonest or inaccurate. In fact, if I wanted to be dishonest, I would pretend as if there weren't any alternative solutions to the issue raised by the original poster. 

 

However, because I'm honest and believe in individual volition, I felt it my duty (as a fellow customer) to present all possible options. If you believe that what I said was inaccurate, then feel free to provide evidence proving me wrong. Simply name-calling and flagging posts, however, doesn't help anyone and violates the forum's rules. 

Re: Flying to Hawaii

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

Look, you can't just "opt out" of testing. Your suggestion to the original poster would lead them to either be denied boarding or denied entry into Hawaii, therefore it is inaccurate, misleading, and not appropriate to post. I understand you disagree with the legality of testing requirements. However, until you or someone else takes that claim to court there is no opt out and no alternative to the stated requirement. There is a legal system and process in this country designed to handle debates and one cannot attempt to get around the rules by just saying the rules are not valid. Do you actually think a traveler can just show up at the airport and start citing the Air Carrier Access Act and expect to be allowed on the plane? It doesn't work like that. Those claims need to go through a legal process. So please, either start your claim in court or be quiet.

 

--TheMiddleSeat

Re: Flying to Hawaii

PetertheProphet
Adventurer B

You said: "Look, you can't just "opt out" of testing. Your suggestion to the original poster would lead them to either be denied boarding or denied entry into Hawaii, therefore it is inaccurate, misleading, and not appropriate to post." 

 

Not necessarily true. Unless you have information to the contrary, I do not believe Southwest Airlines forces passengers flying to Hawaii to get tested. In fact, the reason why passengers flying to HI choose to get tested (with the hope of a "negative" test result) is to avoid the "mandatory" ten-day quarantine imposed by the State of Hawaii.

 

If by chance I'm incorrect in this regard and Southwest Airlines does in fact require all passengers flying to the State of Hawaii to get tested, I apologize. However, that doesn't seem to be the case here. 

 

So if the original poster chooses to opt out of testing, he/she wouldn't be violating Southwest rules. At worst, he/she would be breaking an unconstitutional edict (NOT law) issued by the Hawaiian governor. 

 

You then said: "However, until you or someone else takes that claim to court there is no opt out and no alternative to the stated requirement."

 

 If we were discussing something like the mask mandate currently imposed on airline passengers, then yes, you would be correct. However, the topic of discussion regards COVID-19 testing for passengers flying to Hawaii. Unless I'm wrong (which I don't think I am), it isn't Southwest which is forcing passengers to get tested. Even the State of Hawaii isn't forcing passengers to get tested.  The reason why passengers choose to get tested (with the hope of a "negative" test result) is to avoid having to quarantine themselves for ten days once they reach the islands. 

 

You then said: "There is a legal system and process in this country designed to handle debates and one cannot attempt to get around the rules by just saying the rules are not valid."

 

Yes, there is a legal system and process in this country designed to handle such issues and I would agree with you if we were discussing something like the mask policy or testing with regards to international travel. But as of now, Southwest isn't forcing passengers flying to Hawaii to get tested. Rather, passengers flying to Hawaii are choosing to get tested to avoid having to "self-quarantine" for ten days. 

 

"Do you actually think a traveler can just show up at the airport and start citing the Air Carrier Access Act and expect to be allowed on the plane?"

 

One traveler? Of course not. But numbers matter. And if everyone decides to stand up for themselves, what are they going to do? Refuse to let everyone board? 

 

Again, notice how I specifically used the word recommend when I advised the original poster to opt out of testing. Based on my knowledge of current procedure with regards to domestic flights to Hawaii, I knew that it was the State of Hawaii requiring "negative" test results to bypass the ten-day quarantine. It wasn't Southwest Airlines which was doing so. However, if it is in fact Southwest Airlines requiring domestic passengers flying to Hawaii to not only get tested but also show NEGATIVE test results, then I retract my comment. 

Re: Flying to Hawaii

TheMiddleSeat
Aviator A

Ahh, @PetertheProphet's advice to everyone is to skip the test and then spend 10 days in quarantine.  I guess that works, sounds like a lovely way to spend a vacation.

 

--TheMiddleSeat