Beginning December 28, passengers flying on United from London’s Heathrow Airport to the United States must provide proof of a negative coronavirus test or an antigen test taken within three days of departure, company officials said in a statement.
United’s policy applies to its flights flying from Heathrow to Newark, New Jersey as well as the company’s flights to Chicago, San Francisco and Washington, DC.
British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic announced similar requirements for flights from the United Kingdom to New York on Monday.
On Thursday, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said his state would require United passengers to test negative for the virus within 72 hours of their flights from London to Newark.
“As we continue to experience a second wave of COVID-19 cases, it’s critical that we take any and all precautions to mitigate the potential for further transmission,” the release says in part,” the governor said.
United said the health and safety of its workers and passengers is its “highest priority.
Passengers connecting in London Heathrow onto a United flight from another country would be exempt from the policy, the airline said.
United said it has already required passengers to acknowledge they have not been diagnosed with Covid-19 in the past 14 days and do not have symptoms.
When he checked in for the flight, the passenger acknowledged on the airline’s Ready-to-Fly checklist that he had not been diagnosed with Covid-19 and did not have Covid-related symptoms, a spokeswoman for the airline said.
After receiving more information about the health of this passenger, “it is apparent he wrongly acknowledged this requirement,” the spokeswoman said.
CNN’s Chris Boyette and Sheena Jones contributed to this report.
