Philippine Airlines said Tuesday its Hawaii-bound travelers may be exempted from arrival quarantine requirements if they avail of RT-PCR tests from its test centers or trusted testing partners.
PAL is the first Asian airline accredited by the State of Hawaii to be a trusted testing and travel partner under the state's Safe Travel quarantine reduction program.
PAL passengers who secure, prior to departure, negative RT-PCR test results from a PAL testing partner accredited as a Safe Travel laboratory will no longer be required to undergo the mandatory 10-day quarantine upon arrival in Hawaii.
The first eligible flight for quarantine-free travel is on July 30. PAL flies once weekly nonstop from Manila to Honolulu every Friday, with code share service beyond Honolulu to Maui, Hilo, Kona and Lihue in partnership with Hawaiian Airlines.
'We are delighted to announce that we are expanding our Safe Travels pre-travel testing program to include travelers from the Philippines … and we appreciate our partners who are helping families reconnect,” Hawaii Governor David Ige said.
"We welcome the recognition of the Hawaiian authorities of Philippine Airlines as a trusted testing partner," said Dexter Lee, PAL senior vice president and chief strategy planning officer.
"This is a great convenience for our passengers traveling to Honolulu, who need not undergo the 10-day quarantine upon arrival if they secure negative RT-PCT tests from our PAL testing partners in the Philippines," he said.
For convenience, passengers may avail of the RT-PCR test at PAL’s own COVID-19 testing centers in partnership with Detoxicare Diagnostics Molecular Laboratory which is accredited by the Philippine Department of Health.
The testing centers are located at the PAL Learning Center in Padre Faura, Manila; and at PAL Gate 3, Andrews Ave., Pasay City. Results are released within 24 hours.
