Fit to Fly, PCR COVID Test: Same Day Appointment – £89

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Do you have the same Fit to Fly questions as me?

By JOURNALIST, OLIVIA PALAMOUNTAIN

• WHAT IT’S LIKE TO OBTAIN A RESULT TO TRAVEL AT THE LAST MINUTE DURING THE PANDEMIC?
• WHAT IT’S LIKE TO OBTAIN A REPORT TO TRAVEL AT THE LAST MINUTE DURING THE PANDEMIC?
• INVITED ON A VERY LAST-MINUTE TRIP TO ANTIGUA, HAD 72 HOURS TO PREPARE TO TRAVEL INCLUDING OBTAINING A NEGATIVE COVID-19 RT-PCR TEST RESULT. THIS WAS HER EXPERIENCE!

 Dear Friends, here is my story:

Many of the walk-in clinics near me I spoke to said that they used to be able to process results in that timeframe. But now swamped with samples and demand outstripping supply, they had no choice but to rescind on assurances.

I made appointments with two COVID PCR test London centres near me for two days before my flight, hoping to sweet-talk my way to a speedier result.

The line outside City C in Moorgate at 10.10 am looked like the queue for Fabric nightclub circa 2001 – one-in-one-out and full of sketchy faces. On the phone, City C told me I could expedite my sample and receive results in 24 hours. Result.

On arrival, this proved not to be the case.

“To be honest with you,” said the doctor (note to medical professionals, never use this phrase), “we changed to a new lab at the beginning of the week, and demand is so high we can’t guarantee anything – and we definitely cannot do a 24-hour turnaround.”

After further questioning, all the day’s samples were bagged up after the final appointment and sent to a test centre independent of City C. It’s only when the samples arrive at the lab that the 48-hour clock starts ticking, so if you think a 9 am appointment will get you your results sooner.

You’re wrong.

“Once the fit-to-fly samples have been sent off, it’s out of our hands,” explained the doctor.

I decided to try my luck later in the same day at an appointment near me for two, a private centre on Harley Street. The response wasn’t any more comforting, but this practitioner did at least give me some more personal attention –

The Harley Street “touch”

He listened to my story, took the urgency on board and promised to hand-deliver the sample to the lab immediately after testing. Plus, he would oversee getting my PCR results to me 52 hours before my landing time in Antigua.

I had no other option but to go for it.

Sure, there was a small chance I would have Covid and be labelled a biohazard on arrival and have to quarantine, but it was a chance I was willing to take.

I handed over a whopping £179 (this cost appears to be standard), hopped onto the couch and winced as a giant cotton bud was pushed through my nostril and into the back of my throat. You’ll need a good incentive to suffer the Fit for Fly PCR experience – an all-expenses paid trip to the Caribbean ought to do it.

I left hopeful but hardly convinced that I’d hear steel pans soon.

I hadn’t thought British Airways would ask for proof of a negative test result before boarding. And I received that nugget of information at Gatwick’s BA check-in desk at 8.30 am.

My 48-hour countdown calculation was based on the time I landed in Antigua – rather than my departure.

Oops.

Why was I not able to find any mention of this requirement on the BA website (at the time or since)? Are airlines now required by law to see negative test results before allowing you to fly to destinations that require them to enter? Answers on a postcard, please, because I still can’t figure it out.

After frantic calls to the walk-in clinic near me, my results appeared with minutes to spare. I was one of the lucky ones.

On September 23

Five days after my flight, one of the UK’s leading laboratories offering COVID-19 kits said it could no longer prioritise leisure travel due to demand outstripping capacity.

“ Testing has significantly increased in recent weeks in line with increasing infection rates and hospital admissions, and as a result, testing is now outstripping laboratory capacity,” a spokesperson from the Doctor’s Laboratory, the largest independent provider of clinical laboratory diagnostic services in the UK, told Telegraph Travel.

“Priority is therefore being given to clinical and work-related tasks.”

Today, the situation is even worse, with holidaymakers reporting last-minute cancellations and significant losses thanks to delayed results.

Sadie Whitelocks missed a flight to Kenya because her test had not returned in time.

“I was meant to be headed to Kenya last Saturday and needed, as with many places, a negative PCR report. In Holland, these cost around £80–£150. I found a legitimate place, selected a kit that would return the results in 48 hours and paid the £80. However, the night before my flight, the exam still hadn’t returned as promised,” she told The Telegraph.

“The more I looked into the company, the more I realised there was no number or efficient way of contacting the company. They had also closed social media accounts. I missed the Fit to Fly flight and had to reschedule, which finally returned later than promised with a negative result.

“Looking at reviews around this Walkin Clinic company, many travellers have lost holidays and lots of money because of inefficiency.”

Complaints of delayed results near me, leading to missed holidays, are rife on Twitter. One user, Neelam9t2, wrote: “I had a Covid Test in London on Wednesday and am still awaiting results. Very disappointed as I was assured within 36/48 hours. I’ve missed my flight and have huge hotel bills and a new airline ticket. Visa finishes in 10 days.”