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Phew! No really – PHEW! I don’t mind telling you that I had a rather sleepless night waiting to hear the news of what the government’s new rules would be, even for the fully vaccinated and boosted, to get on a jet to fly back home to the USA.
What am I talking about? There were rumors that the latest CDC December 2nd update would require that those returning would have to quarantine for up to a week upon return.
Why does this matter? Some mileage runners have back to back flights booked as the run started from a city not so close to where they live and to minimize costs they:
1) Flew positioning flights to the city to start the run
2) Booked two or more runs back to back with minimal or no days off between flights
3) Could (under old rules) have used a single COVID19 test for more than one flight.
As you can see, had a quarantine rule come into effect, it would have made a mess of things for those trying to be as efficient as possible.
This December 2nd change does complicate things and likely increases costs as well. I will review soon my eMed telemed tests having used them a number of times already before my return to cruising this past September.
The biggest issue with the change is timing for flights. You are going to have to be spot on to get your test done to allow some wiggle room if flights are delayed etc. and having just a 24 hour window is clearly not good and thus you better have extra tests either with you or available where you are going in case things go wrong.
Honestly if I did not have flights already booked and in place I doubt I would be, for now, booking anything back to back – there is just too much risk. Beyond that the question if now is a wise time to risk a mileage run with the latest variant spreading more and more. But there are some stunning deals out there and if you find yourself needing a few more MQMs or MQDs to push you over the top with Delta this year – at least you will be able to pull it off with some extra work, cost and timing! – René
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Covid test requirements to reenter USA are one day not 24 hours which provides a lot more flexibility for afternoon or late-day flights.
That is true.
We should have stuck with COVID classic. Travel would be easier.
That’s the irony. This is much less serious. It seems that the severity of the restrictions are inversely proportional to the risk level. If the latest reports are right, that the symptoms are very mild but immunity is high, we should be doing everything we can to spread this latest variant, it may be our best hope to end the pandemic without killing anyone else.
It is nerve racking if 24 hours esp if multi-city then to US!!!and does it really make a difference as the medical reports on Omicron do not sound very bad! We still have wide open borders with No Testing or Vax documentation to complicate it all!