Air Canada and Shoppers Drug Mart to Offer Pre-Flight COVID Tests

Air Canada and Shoppers Drug Mart to Offer Pre-Flight COVID Tests

November 27, 2020 ctn_admin

Air Canada and Shoppers Drug Mart are teaming up to provide airline customers with pre-departure COVID tests.

Air Canada says the program with Shoppers Drug Mart, Canada’s leading pharmacy retailer, will provide Air Canada customers with the opportunity to take a pre-departure COVID-19 RT-PCR test in order to comply with international travel requirements.

Beginning Dec. 7, eligible Air Canada customers can book and purchase a COVID-19 test at participating Shoppers Drug Mart locations in Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia. Results are typically available within 24-48 hours.

It’s a solid change that will make tests that much simpler and ease the way for Canadians to visit destinations that require negative tests, including Hawaii and several Caribbean countries.

“Many countries now require a pre-departure negative COVID-19 test and we are pleased to facilitate this process for our customers, making their travel experience easier and safer by recommending the RT-PCR test at select Shoppers Drug Mart locations. We believe that testing is one of the keys to protecting employees and customers, and an important step to safely reopen travel around the world, easing travel restrictions by providing alternative testing solutions in managing risk,” said Dr. Jim Chung, Air Canada’s Chief Medical Officer.

“Our stores and pharmacy teams are a convenient, trusted resource for Canadians. We want to continue to be a part of the solution as the country looks for ways to manage COVID-19. We’re pleased to work with Air Canada to make COVID-19 RT-PCR tests accessible to travellers, and to help customers plan their travel safely and with confidence,” said Ashesh Desai, Executive Vice President, Pharmacy at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Earlier today, WestJet began a new program of COVID-19 tests at Vancouver International Airport.

This test will be available for customers flying to any destination requiring a negative COVID-19 test, including Hawaii and the Caribbean (namely, the Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Saint Lucia and Antigua & Barbuda).

Canadians are now eligible to be exempt from Hawaii’s mandatory 14-day quarantine on arrival in the Hawaiian Islands via a pre-travel testing process. Visit the Hawaiian government website for more details. https://travel.hawaii.gov/#/

Air Canada’s service to Hawaii from Vancouver begins on Dec. 17 and flights from Calgary start on Dec. 18.

Other testing options are also offered to our customers who are flying to Hawaii, including travellers from Quebec. For more details on the list of approved testing entities by the Hawaiian Government, visit aircanada.com/covid19testing.

Air Canada has been at the forefront of the airline industry in responding to COVID-19, including being among the first carriers globally to require customer face coverings onboard and the first airline in the Americas to check passengers’ temperatures prior to boarding. In May, it introduced a comprehensive program, called Air Canada CleanCare+, to apply industry leading biosafety measures at each stage of the journey.