I recently received a great question from a reader, which I didn’t know the answer to. Dennis asked: “My wife just had her flight from Paris to NY cancelled because of the storm. Delta quickly rebooked her on the next flight to NY the next day, no problem. But does she now have to get another Covid test, and if so who pays? This test cost her about $50. Her existing test is only good for 24 hours. Thank you for your assistance.”

I told Dennis that I didn’t know and I would have to do some research but he quickly wrote back and said he’d just found the answer himself on Delta’s website: “If your initial departure flight is delayed by 24 hours or less due to a situation outside of your control, you are not required to be retested. If the delay is more than 24 hours, you are required to retest.”

That’s great news for travelers and the rule is from the CDC so it applies to all airlines. Here’s the information on the CDC’s website: “If the first flight in a passenger’s itinerary is delayed past the 1-day limit of testing due to a situation outside of the passenger’s control (e.g., delays because of severe weather or aircraft mechanical problem), and that delay is 24 hours or less past the 1-day limit for testing, the passenger does not need to be retested. If the delay is more than 24 hours past the 1-day limit, then the passenger will need to be retested.

“If a connecting flight in a passenger’s itinerary is delayed past the 1-day limit of testing due to a situation outside of the passenger’s control (e.g., delays because of severe weather or aircraft mechanical problem), and that delay is less than 48 hours past the 1-day limit for testing, the passenger does not need to be retested. If the delay is more than 48 hours past the 1-day limit, then the passenger will need to be retested.”

Hopefully you don’t encounter this situation but if you do, it’s good to know that you don’t need to spend the time or money to get retested.

3 Comments On "If Your Flight is Delayed or Canceled, Do You Need to Get Retested For Covid?"
  1. William Ranger|

    But who pays if the delay is over 24 hours?

    1. Johnny Jet|

      Unfortunately, you do. But you might be able to get the airline to

  2. Doug|

    The 24 hour policy was the initial mandate by the government. They later changed it to any time on the day prior to departure. So if you have a 6pm flight, you supposedly can be tested any time on the day before, not within a 24 hour window.

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