I decided to order a test online with a FaceTime assistant. I did this because the appointments at the Madrid airport didn't coincide with my flights from SdC and USA. Delta recommended a test by "ellume." How it works is: you order the test at home (I have it now, it took 2 days to reach me). Yes, I'll have to pack it, but I'm using luggage transport, so I have room. 3 days before departure, I have to take the test. When you order the test, you choose a time that your consultant will be able to Face Time with you. I'll be in Santiago on that day, so I made sure I had a hotel with good internet. The consultant watches you open and perform the test, the call is closed and when you insert the swab into a pod (analyzer), which connects to their app, in 15 minutes it sends the results directly to your phone. This can be shown to the airline upon boarding. The company sent an additional test kit for free, in case something happens or the test in inaccurate.
We used the online-assisted rapid COVID test for return to USA: My husband and I flew from Madrid to USA on United Airlines two weeks ago and we used the NAVICA online COVID testing service and Abbot Labs quick tests that United had recommended. We ordered & received the kits at home in USA and carried them in our transported bag on the Camino. Each test kit was about the size and weight of a DVD movie in its case.
We had a good experience, though it felt awkward at the time. It was easy to test and get results; here are some points for others using this method:
- need good wifi
- need at least an hour
- must happen 72 hours or less before the scheduled flight time.
- need to connect with the proctor and have the device camera show the test kit’s id, then show you opening the kit, then swabbing your nose,
- need to keep the camera on the kit, and online, while it processes for 15 minutes.
The test proctors talked as if we had a laptop with a camera whose position we could adjust, which we did not have. You need to use both hands to open the packages in view of your camera. You need to swab your nose for the camera. Then you need to keep the test kit, on a table or desk, visible to the camera for the 15 minutes it takes before results are known. We used the camera of an iPad mini, propped up by a hiking shoe.
This could be more difficult for one person to do alone with a single mobile phone than it was for two of us with a couple of devices.
We tested negative, and had no problems. The NAVICA service emailed an official results document within a very few minutes. It was easy to upload that official document to United’s system, where someone checked it and approved it within half an hour. Airline staff in Madrid asked for proof of a negative COVID test again at check-in. It helps to save that official document as a photo on the mobile phone for easy access. There was no need to print it.
One more note: We thought we needed 2 tests each, in case something failed, and pricing was 2 for $99 or 6 for $150, so we bought 6. They worked fine, first time, so we have 4 spare kits now.
Blessings and ¡Buen Camino, peregrinos!