Beginning January 26, the U.S. government will require all passengers, including U.S. citizens, two years of age and older traveling to the United States from any international location to test negative for COVID-19 within three calendar days of departure.

At American Airlines, we’re committed to protecting the health and safety of our customers, and this testing requirement will provide yet another layer of protection in the travel journey. We support the implementation of a global program to require COVID-19 testing for travelers to the United States.

We’re working closely with U.S. authorities as they implement this new order and, at the same time, taking care of any affected customers by assisting them with rebooking options. Our team is proactively reaching out to customers who may be affected by this order to ensure they know what to expect.

We’ll continue to work closely with U.S. and international authorities, as well as industry associations, to ensure our customers have options to be in compliance with new testing requirements. We’ll be in touch again soon as information becomes available to ensure our customers can continue to enjoy their travel plans.

More details, including frequently asked questions, can be found on our Newsroom.

Flexibility for you and your travelers

To provide our customers with additional flexibility, American has implemented a Travel Notice for customers who are currently ticketed to travel January 12 – February 9, 2021 which allows the customer to change their date of travel through January 25, 2021, waiving the change fee and add/collect for travel in the same cabin. Customers who are unable to travel on or before January 25, 2021 can still take advantage of our other policies that waive change fees:

• Global Flexibility Waiver applies to tickets issued on/before September 30, 2020

• Flexible Fares apply to tickets issued on/after October 1, 2020 and may follow applicable fare rules

   

Travel requirements tool

Customers traveling both domestically and internationally can easily stay up to date on the latest travel requirements through our travel tool, powered by Sherpa.

The tool makes travel planning easier by providing a destination-specific overview of local guidelines including face covering, health documentation and quarantine requirements. To use the tool, travelers simply enter their origin and destination for an automatic overview of travel requirements.

We value your partnership and look forward to welcoming you on board soon.

FAQs

When does this order go into effect?

January 26, 2021.

What does the order require?

According to the order, all customers traveling to the United States from an international location are required to test negative for COVID-19 within three calendar days of their departure, and present evidence of the negative test result to American Airlines prior to departure.

What can customers expect when flying American? 

1. Test results: Customers will be asked to show evidence of a negative COVID-19 test taken within three calendar days of their departure. The test results may be in digital or paper form and should be shown to an American Airlines agent prior to departure.
2. CDC attestation form: An American Airlines agent will collect the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) attestation form. Customers can print the form from the CDC’s website or complete one prior to departure.

What happens if a customer hasn’t taken a COVID-19 test within three calendar days of departure or does not have test results?

Customers who have not completed a test and/or do not have test results to present will not be allowed to board their flight bound for the United States.

What types of tests are approved?

A viral detection test for current infection (i.e., a nucleic acid amplification test or a viral antigen test). Learn more about viral detection tests on the CDC’s website.

Are there specific approved testing vendors?

No.

Is the three-day requirement from the initial start of the travel itinerary?

According to the order:

• If a customer is arriving on a direct flight to U.S., the negative test must occur within three calendar days preceding the flight’s departure.

• If a customer is arriving via one or more connecting flights, the negative test must occur within three calendar days preceding the departure of the initial flight, but only if:

• The connecting flights were booked as a single passenger record with a destination in the U.S.

• Each connection is no longer than 24 hours, and

• The airline instructs the customer to comply and uses reasonable efforts to facilitate compliance.

What if travel begins in the U.S. and returns to the U.S. from an international location within three business days?

The order doesn’t address this scenario, but American is looking into it.

Does this order apply to customers who have received the COVID-19 vaccine?

Yes. Customers who have had the COVID-19 vaccine will still be required to provide to the negative COVID-19 test result or the completed CDC attestation form.

Does this order apply to customers who have recently recovered from COVID-19?

According to the order, customers who have had lab-confirmed COVID-19 within the past three months can travel to the U.S. if they present the approved positive test result and a letter from a licensed healthcare provider or public health official stating the customer has been cleared for travel. For more details on what’s required, we encourage customers to review the CDC’s order.

Is American providing tests for customers?

No. Customers will be responsible for securing approved COVID-19 tests in accordance with the order.

Can customers change their travel plans to ensure compliance with the order?

Yes. The vast majority of travel booked on American, including short- and long-haul international flights, does not have change fees. You can learn more about American’s elimination of change fees by visiting aa.com. Additionally, American is waiving the fare difference for customers with travel scheduled Jan. 12 through Feb. 9. These customers may rebook in the same cabin of service with no charge for the same origin and destination. New travel must start on or before Jan. 25.

Customers who need to change their travel plans should visit aa.com or call our Reservations team or your travel agent.

Why does this specific travel policy only cover new travel dates through January 25? Why that date?

The new travel policy is to provide flexibility for customers who purchased travel prior to the announcement of this new requirement to offer the ability to change their travel dates, before the policy comes into effect on January 26.

Customers can also use the Flexible Fares without change fees or the Global Flexibility Waiver to adjust their travel plans if needed.

• Global Flexibility Waiver applies to tickets issued on/before September 30, 2020

• Flexible Fares apply to tickets issued on/after October 1, 2020 and may follow applicable fare rules