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United Airlines trials new ‘Covid-free’ transatlantic flight
United Airlines is trialling a new Covid-tested flight from Newark to London starting this week.
The airline plans to run the trial for a month with the first flight scheduled to land at Heathrow Airport on Tuesday morning.
The airline has converted its United Club, near gate C93, into an onsite testing facility so that every passenger will receive their results before the flight takes off. Passengers who test positive for Covid-19 will be isolated and not be allowed to board.
It will guarantee everyone onboard the flights over two years old will be tested, including flight crew.
Passengers who do not wish to be tested will be accommodated on other flights.
Josh Earnest, United Airlines’ Chief Communication Officer, said: "The benefit right now is that people – for free – can have the peace of mind knowing when they board the plane that everyone else who’s on that plane has recently tested negative for Covid-19."
London to New York/Newark routes are among the busiest in the world and the most profitable journeys for airlines, due to relatively high proportion of business travelers.
Currently travelers arriving in the UK from the US must quarantine for 14 days.
By Louise Longman, Contributing Editor (UK)
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