PCR test before travel to Fue

[Mia]

This facility sounded like great news for us as there are no PCR testing sites anywhere near where we live.
Planned to travel up to Gatwick approx 48 hrs before flight by taxi, have a test and stay in a hotel for
a couple of nights awaiting results.  Phoned the testing site this morning only to be told there are no test facilities for
foot passengers (which we will be) only testing in cars, drive through.  Happy days.  Back to the drawing board.

That is so annoying, however there are no available slots to book online for drive through either, nothing this week, nothing next week or week after...Have you tried boots? I know it is double the price, but better than nothing. Saying that I would wait a couple of days as today they should decide if they would be accepting antigen tests on arrival instead.

[Rome77]

This facility sounded like great news for us as there are no PCR testing sites anywhere near where we live.
Planned to travel up to Gatwick approx 48 hrs before flight by taxi, have a test and stay in a hotel for
a couple of nights awaiting results.  Phoned the testing site this morning only to be told there are no test facilities for
foot passengers (which we will be) only testing in cars, drive through.  Happy days.  Back to the drawing board.

That is so annoying, however there are no available slots to book online for drive through either, nothing this week, nothing next week or week after...Have you tried boots? I know it is double the price, but better than nothing. Saying that I would wait a couple of days as today they should decide if they would be accepting antigen tests on arrival instead.

What's hugely annoying with Gatwick test set up is the website: you cannot check availability of tests without supplying all information of all people needing a test. This takes time and also means supplying a lot of sensitive personal information that was absolutely not necessary when there are no test slots available! The idea of this test set up is good, but hopefully the execution will improve with time.

[Mia]

This facility sounded like great news for us as there are no PCR testing sites anywhere near where we live.
Planned to travel up to Gatwick approx 48 hrs before flight by taxi, have a test and stay in a hotel for
a couple of nights awaiting results.  Phoned the testing site this morning only to be told there are no test facilities for
foot passengers (which we will be) only testing in cars, drive through.  Happy days.  Back to the drawing board.

That is so annoying, however there are no available slots to book online for drive through either, nothing this week, nothing next week or week after...Have you tried boots? I know it is double the price, but better than nothing. Saying that I would wait a couple of days as today they should decide if they would be accepting antigen tests on arrival instead.

What's hugely annoying with Gatwick test set up is the website: you cannot check availability of tests without supplying all information of all people needing a test. This takes time and also means supplying a lot of sensitive personal information that was absolutely not necessary when there are no test slots available! The idea of this test set up is good, but hopefully the execution will improve with time.

Exactly, I have done it twice already submitting all the details to find out that there are no slots available...

[Pub the Shack]

If it’s any help to anyone, after various EasyJet cancellations, rebooked Ryanair flights and lockdown rules we’re eventually arriving on the island on Saturday for our annual winter holiday. I googled “PCR tests near me” last Thursday- chose one that promised to turn the test/results round in 48 hours and paid £145 each for myself and the wife. The kit arrived in the post the next day and we were told that if we were flying on Saturday we could swab ourselves on Tuesday, post the results for testing within the 72 hours and get the certificate within 48 hours (or a positive result if you’re unlucky!). We received our results today, Thursday, so we’re good to go. Happy days!

[Ducks]

were told that if we were flying on Saturday we could swab ourselves on Tuesday, post the results for testing within the 72 hours and get the certificate within 48 hours (or a positive result if you’re unlucky!). We received our results today, Thursday, so we’re good to go. Happy days!

Am I wrong in thinking that the test itself is supposed to be performed within 72 hours of flying? That is, the test should have been performed on Thursday, not Tuesday? There's so little clarity with these things. It's very frustrating. 

Best of luck with your travel arrangements either way, but be prepared that they may kick up a fuss about the test having been performed five days before travel rather than within three.

This facility sounded like great news for us as there are no PCR testing sites anywhere near where we live.
Planned to travel up to Gatwick approx 48 hrs before flight by taxi, have a test and stay in a hotel for
a couple of nights awaiting results.  Phoned the testing site this morning only to be told there are no test facilities for
foot passengers (which we will be) only testing in cars, drive through.  Happy days.  Back to the drawing board.

Get a taxi to drive you both through?

[el caballo hambriento]

Easy Jet, Jet2 and Wizz Air partenered with Confirm Testing who have now run out of test kits and have failed many people by not getting their test results to them in time for their flight.  They have terrible reviews on Trust Pilot.  AVOID.  See the comments on their Facebook Page  

https://www.facebook.com/ConfirmTesting/...e_internal

[Pub the Shack]

That demonstrates how crazy it is - the test certificate states that the test date is within the 72 hour period - there’s no requirement to say when the swab was taken!

[Rome77]

That demonstrates how crazy it is - the test certificate states that the test date is within the 72 hour period - there’s no requirement to say when the swab was taken!

I am glad that you've got your certificate and hope for your sake that it will be accepted. However, in my opinion the company issuing this certificate is knowingly issuing the wrong test date to suit their business needs. This is at the very least unethical, and you'd think they're also breaking the law doing this 

[Pub the Shack]

Think you’re missing the point here - the company are stating on the certificate the correct test date - ie the date they tested - they didn’t have the sample before the 72 hour period!

[Rome77]

Think you’re missing the point here - the company are stating on the certificate the correct test date - ie the date they tested - they didn’t have the sample before the 72 hour period!

I understood that - it's just that I cannot see how one can call the time of lab analysis for the "test date" - surely the "test date" refers to when the sample was taken, not when it was analysed? Anyway, I'm no expert, just seems "common sense" to me. If they do allow test date to be the date of analysis it makes the 72 hour rule much easier, that's for sure! 

On our side we're a family of four travelling mid-December so still trying to nail down a test option that will work for us without completely breaking the bank. The fact that our flight arrives in the evening actually makes the 72 hour time window more difficult...