PCR test 72 hours before boarding the flight to Phuket (Sandbox program) questions

[ppatrick]

Hi,

 

On the Thailand Pass website Sandbox program, it said "Obtain a negative COVID-19 test result (RT-PCR), issued within 72 hours before travelling". The 72 hours starts from the time the result is issued, right? Not the time the sample is collected. My flight to Phuket is 27 January 6:30pm. I just got the test results back (negative yay! ???? ) today 24 January 6:10pm. That's 72 hours. So I should be good to go, right? The airline is Qatar Airway (flying from Chicago, one stop at Doha Qatar) if that matter. 

 

Thanks,

[treetops]

Looks like 72 hours and 20 minutes to me.  Prepare to be denied boarding if the time is on the certificate.

[ppatrick]

8 hours ago, treetops said:

Looks like 72 hours and 20 minutes to me.  Prepare to be denied boarding if the time is on the certificate.

Thanks for the reply. Yes I saw the 20 min as well. However I thought that they would check the paperwork at the check-in which is 2 hours before the flying time. Hmm... I'll wait for others to join in.

[richard_smith237]

18 minutes ago, ppatrick said:

Thanks for the reply. Yes I saw the 20 min as well. However I thought that they would check the paperwork at the check-in which is 2 hours before the flying time. Hmm... I'll wait for others to join in.

I had a very similar issue...  the cut off was too close...  in my case IF there was a 30min flight delay that would have pushed me outside of the <72 hr departure window (from time the test was taken to time of arrival). 

 

All information and instructions regarding specifics of timing (time swab taken, time results received, time of departure or time of arrival etc etc) were sufficiently ambiguous to cause concern.

 

Bases covered by editing the PDF (by 24 hrs) - naughty I know....  and I’m not advising the Op to edit is PDF or do something illegal.. however...  

 

I also know a quite a few people forced into this situation.

[david555]

25 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I had a very similar issue...  the cut off was too close...  in my case IF there was a 30min flight delay that would have pushed me outside of the <72 hr departure window (from time the test was taken to time of arrival). 

 

All information and instructions regarding specifics of timing (time swab taken, time results received, time of departure or time of arrival etc etc) were sufficiently ambiguous to cause concern.

 

Bases covered by editing the PDF (by 24 hrs) - naughty I know....  and I’m not advising the Op to edit is PDF or do something illegal.. however...  

 

I also know a quite a few people forced into this situation.

When the delay is caused by the airline  they  normally would not make problem as is their own airline fault ,  also could maybe make a quick test at airport (referring to KLM online support about tests...)

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, david555 said:

When the delay is caused by the airline  they  normally would not make problem as is their own airline fault,

I don’t think there is any ‘normal’ involved with this situation....   There is no prescient and people have been interpreting their own regulations. 

 

My travel was nearly rejected because the Airline Check-in staff didn’t like the ‘look’ of my insurance certificate - they actually argued that it doesn’t ‘look like a certificate’....    I’d entered Thailand previously with the same documentation, and have since... but on that one occasion, the check in staff and duty manager held all the power of making the decision - they were initially saying no until I encouraged them to pick up the phone and ‘go higher’...  a stressful and very patiences testing situation. 

 

 

Recently, after the applications for the Test & Go Thailand Pass were halted on 21st Dec a passenger was denied boarding with his approved Test & Go QR code (I think he was travelling on 22nd - a day after the change in regulation).

The check-in staff believed the Test & Go Approvals were no longer valid and refused travel to the passenger.

The airline (check-in staff) were unaware existing approvals were being honoured. 

The IATA information did not clearly reflect that existing approvals were being honoured. 

 

The passenger was denied boarding and ended up travelling on a different day once the issue was cleared up. 

 

1 minute ago, david555 said:

also could maybe make a quick test at airport (referring to KLM online support about tests...)

Not when a RT-PCR tests takes a few hours and the flight is in another 2-3 hours. 

 

-----------

 

IMO in situations such as this its ‘ok’ to massage the facts slightly to avoid a potential major hassle. 

 

In the same manner I have ‘edited' the certificates of my Covid-19 vaccination certificates to include my Passport Number (as they only included my residency ID).

 

 

 

 

[david555]

25 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I don’t think there is any ‘normal’ involved with this situation....   There is no prescient and people have been interpreting their own regulations. 

 

My travel was nearly rejected because the Airline Check-in staff didn’t like the ‘look’ of my insurance certificate - they actually argued that it doesn’t ‘look like a certificate’....    I’d entered Thailand previously with the same documentation, and have since... but on that one occasion, the check in staff and duty manager held all the power of making the decision - they were initially saying no until I encouraged them to pick up the phone and ‘go higher’...  a stressful and very patiences testing situation. 

 

 

Recently, after the applications for the Test & Go Thailand Pass were halted on 21st Dec a passenger was denied boarding with his approved Test & Go QR code (I think he was travelling on 22nd - a day after the change in regulation).

The check-in staff believed the Test & Go Approvals were no longer valid and refused travel to the passenger.

The airline (check-in staff) were unaware existing approvals were being honoured. 

The IATA information did not clearly reflect that existing approvals were being honoured. 

 

The passenger was denied boarding and ended up travelling on a different day once the issue was cleared up. 

 

Not when a RT-PCR tests takes a few hours and the flight is in another 2-3 hours. 

 

-----------

 

IMO in situations such as this its ‘ok’ to massage the facts slightly to avoid a potential major hassle. 

 

In the same manner I have ‘edited' the certificates of my Covid-19 vaccination certificates to include my Passport Number (as they only included my residency ID).

 

 

 

 

I must admit that in my answer i had a flight to home country in mind ...which makes it a litle bit more easy to be with accepting tests , as going to own home country so not the Thai side problem ....

This shall be in some month's my home flight  ordeal ????

 

True that it is all different from time , airline , and the person checking the tests ???? indeed a gamble to fly now...

[paahlman]

The answer is like this..

 

The law says.. 72 hours from first port of embarkation.. However.. It is not always implied like this.. Health personel in europe told me. Not hearsay.. It is the last flight checkin time that you actually check in.. or in other words.. The last flight until you land in Thailand. This is if you have a multi leg which most have.

And yes. To complicate it further.. It is from the test time.. Not when the result is recieved.

 

Hope it clears stuff up.. 

 

Sidenote... It is normally applied to first port of embarkation time.., but it could backfire and lets say you change airline.. if its a different airline you normally have to show it again.. meaning.. IF you fly Lufthansa from point a to b then it will definetly be first port of embarkation.

 

 

[jomtienisgood]

14 hours ago, ppatrick said:

Thanks for the reply. Yes I saw the 20 min as well. However I thought that they would check the paperwork at the check-in which is 2 hours before the flying time. Hmm... I'll wait for others to join in.

I just checked on my previous PCR test Cert. On mine only date and not time is mentioned... Maybe depending on where the test is performed??? 

[treetops]

If you referring to travel to Thailand then

11 hours ago, paahlman said:

It is the last flight checkin time that you actually check in.. or in other words.. The last flight until you land in Thailand. This is if you have a multi leg which most have.

is wrong, and so is

11 hours ago, paahlman said:

It is from the test time.. Not when the result is recieved

Probably better not to take travel advice from health personnel.  Travel personnel would more likely say this:

[paahlman]

11 hours ago, treetops said:

If you referring to travel to Thailand then

is wrong, and so is

Probably better not to take travel advice from health personnel.  Travel personnel would more likely say this:

This is the law like mentioned.. , but its not what is applied in all circumstances. Especially if you change airline along the way. Last flight into the county is the key. From checkin time of that the pcr test has to be valid from the time written on the paper which will be from when you took the test. Not when you recieved it. But yet.. claiming the law does not always work. However strange it is.