Situation: One week before our return flight from San Juan Puerto Rico to Tampa Bay, Florida we received the following email from JetBlue:
U.S. coronavirus testing requirements
Beginning January 26, 2021, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines will require all air travelers (2 years and older) entering the U.S. present at the ticket counter the following:
- Proof of recovery from coronavirus or a negative PCR or antigen viral test taken no more than 3 calendar days before departure
- A completed entry disclosure form confirming the information presented is true
We’re aware that Puerto Rico is part of the US, but because they sent us this email, we began scrambling to figure out what to do.
We tried calling the airport, but they weren’t answering their phone.
We looked up testing facilities (including Walgreens), but none of them would guarantee results in less than 72 hours and several of them required doctor’s prescriptions just to get the test performed.
I tried Doctors on Demand, a phone service provided by my employer to ask about the prescription or any knowledge about testing practices, but I could get the registration process to work on the site.
Next, we called several travel agencies, hoping they would advise us. I left voicemails and moved to the next idea.
I called the embassy. I’m a little embarrassed here. We were in a US territory, so they don’t have an embassy, but I found a number and called it before I realized my mistake.
Then I received a call back from one of the travel agencies with whom I hadn’t realized we had booked a tour the previous weekend. They told me that they’d seen on the news that the airport was conducting tests at the airport and recommended that we should go to the airport a couple days early to explore our options.
I nearly jumped in a cab and went immediately, but decided instead to call the airport again and try to confirm. Again, I didn’t get an answer at the airport, but called the police at the airport this time. The police told me 1. No test required for travel within the US and 2. You should always contact the airlines first.
I called JetBlue customer service and they confirmed, flying from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Tampa Bay, Florida is all within the United States and no COVID results were necessary.
It’s a strange juxtaposition: hyper-sensitivity to details ensuring preparation so you aren’t scrambling for flights and lodging, but a strange lack of understanding of details which might’ve prevented this from the beginning.
The combination of an unstrategic approach and the unnecessary and unclear communication from the airline combined to create a grueling and stressful situation that in the end required no action on our part.
However, I’m just the type who will make every effort to ensure the pressure is off on travel days. And in this case, travel day was flawless. We arrived early, were at our departure gate in less than 45 minutes and landed in Tampa Bay 2 days before the Superbowl.
Back to the point: Unclear about airline instructions or requirements? Call the airline first.