WestJet expands pre-travel Hawaii testing to Ontario

Negative COVID test exempts travellers from Hawaii quarantine

CALGARY, AB, Dec. 7, 2020 /CNW/ - WestJet today announced it has collaborated with LifeLabs in Ontario to offer State of Hawaii-approved pre-departure testing. A negative COVID test within 72-hours of departure will exempt the guest from the state's required 14-day quarantine.

Through its FlyClear™ program, LifeLabs will provide WestJet guests with a convenient online method to book a COVID-19 test online at a participating Shoppers Drug Mart across Ontario ahead of travelling to Hawaii.

"WestJet is pleased to facilitate additional pre-departure travel testing across Ontario in time for the start of our Hawaii flying from Calgary and Vancouver," said Billy Nolen, WestJet Vice-President Safety, Security and Quality. "COVID-19 testing is key to ensuring safe and confident travel. We are pleased to be working with LifeLabs and select Shoppers Drug Mart locations to offer testing approved by the State of Hawaii for our Ontario-based guests."

"As Canada's largest medical laboratory, LifeLabs has been focused on providing Canadians with COVID-19 testing solutions that keeps them safe – whether it's in their own communities or when travelling abroad," said Charles Brown, President and CEO of LifeLabs. "We are proud to partner with WestJet to provide their guests with access to convenient testing and high-quality, reliable results."

"Our stores and pharmacy teams are a convenient, trusted resource for Canadians, and have continued to play an important role as the country looks for ways to manage COVID-19. Through this program, we can help WestJet guests fly safely and with confidence, a first start as we find ways to safely reopen the economy," said Ashesh Desai, Executive Vice-President, Pharmacy and Healthcare at Shoppers Drug Mart.

Those wishing to book a pre-departure test from Ontario can do so through LifeLabs for $199 plus tax, payable by the guest, by visiting LifeLabs.com/FlyClear. All information on WestJet's testing offers and processes can be found at westjet.com/covidtesting.

Guests travelling to Hawaii are responsible for ensuring they receive a test within 72-hours of their flight departing to Hawaii in order to avoid quarantine and will be required to display their negative test result prior to boarding. If test results are not available before boarding the final leg of the trip, the traveller must quarantine for 14 days or the length of the stay, whichever is shorter.

All visitors intending to visit Hawaii must register prior to travel: Hawaii entrance requirements are found at https://hawaiicovid19.com/travel/

Last month, WestJet announced its December schedule including twice-weekly, non-stop service between Vancouver and Honolulu and Vancouver and Maui. The airline will also be flying non-stop Dreamliner service between Calgary and Honolulu and Calgary and Maui in partnership with DynaLife.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, WestJet has implemented more than 20 additional health and safety measures during the travel journey and continues to evolve its cleaning protocols to meet the needs of guests and WestJetters through its Safety Above All program.

About WestJet 

Since the start of the pandemic the WestJet Group of Companies has built a layered framework of safety measures to ensure Canadians can continue to travel safely and responsibly through the airline's Safety Above All hygiene program. During this time, WestJet has maintained its status as one of the top-10 on-time airlines in North America as named by Cirium.

For more information about everything WestJet, please visit westjet.com. 

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Recent recognition includes: 

2019/2018/2017 Best Airline in Canada (TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards for Airlines) 
2019 Winner Among Mid-Sized Airlines in North America (TripAdvisor Travellers' Choice awards for Airlines) 
2019 Number-One Ranked Canadian Airline Loyalty Program in Member Engagement (Bond Brand Loyalty) 
2019/2018 Number-One-Ranked Airline Credit Card in Canada (Rewards Canada) 

About LifeLabs

LifeLabs is Canada's leading provider of laboratory diagnostic information and digital health connectivity systems, enabling patients and health care practitioners to diagnose, treat, monitor, and prevent disease. We support 20 million patient visits annually and conduct over 100 million laboratory tests through leading-edge technologies and our 5,700 talented and dedicated employees. We are a committed innovator in supporting Canadians to live healthier lives, operating Canada's first commercial genetics lab and the country's largest online patient portal, with more than 4.1 million Canadians receiving their results online. LifeLabs is 100% Canadian owned by OMERS Infrastructure, the infrastructure investment manager of one of Canada's largest defined benefit pension plans.

Learn more at lifelabs.com.

SOURCE WESTJET, an Alberta Partnership