Cranky Talk – Returning From Abroad in the Time of COVID
We’re baaaaack. Did you miss us while we took a one week break? If you’re wondering why, it’s because I was out of town. In fact, I was out of the country. It sounds even more exotic now than it ever has before.
We actually just went to Puerto Vallarta, or really Punta de Mita which is an hour west by transfer. I’ll have a full trip report including a look at the new Conrad hotel where we stayed, but on the podcast we are focusing this week on the process of getting back to the US. It’s not as simple and stress-free as you might hope it would be.
Download it here or listen below.
4 comments on “A New Cranky Talk is Live – Returning From Abroad in the Time of COVID”
United is the best airline I’ve experienced on this front so far. Flew from MEX to the US with my partner and was able to complete the attestation and upload our Covid tests on the website, and get boarding passes. At the airport all we needed was the vuelaseguro QR code (to get through security) and the normal immigration paperwork.
By comparison Aeromexico was a bit of a mess, had to provide both forms on paper prior to getting into the (very long) checkin line (similar to your wife and kids’ experience with AA) and again at boarding, when they kept them.
(Side note: the only time I’ve ever been asked for the health form or QR code on arrival was a domestic flight into CJS)
What happens if you take the test right at ~70-72 hours before your flight or arrival, and your flight is delayed or cancelled? I assume that few people care in practice about the exact time limit (other than at most trying to “check the box” by seeing “proof” of your negative test, even if it’s a few hours too old), but not sure what the official rule is on that.
The US requires within 3 calendar days, not 72 hours, so as long as your flight isn’t delayed to the point that you’re departing a day later you’d be fine. Other countries are stricter on the timing and you’d potentially have to get a new test.
Kilroy – I can’t imagine that would be a problem. If you’re delayed, you’d hope they’d have some exception policy, but I guess I don’t know for sure.