Hawaii Partners With Clear to Allow Travelers With Negative COVID-19 Test Results to Avoid Quarantine

Traveling to Honolulu from Los Angeles International Airport just got a bit easier thanks to Clear's Health Pass.

Beginning Feb. 18, visitors on select Delta and United flights from LAX to Honolulu's Daniel K. Inouye International Airport can register their negative COVID-19 test results within 72 hours of travel through Clear's Health Pass app and avoid the mandatory 10-day quarantine period.

The free mobile app designed by the company, best known for its expedited screening systems at select airports, stadiums, and venues, will use a secure system to verify identity and match up records to other COVID-19-related data, like vaccination. The app can also help travelers find a testing site or at-home testing option.

The four-step process includes downloading and enrolling in Clear's Health Pass, securely linking test results, preboarding using a QR code, and showing a Clear wristband received upon passing to gain entry into Hawaii.

"Safe travel is important for our residents and visitors, and this pilot program is another step forward in achieving this goal," Hawaii Gov. David Ige said in a release shared with Travel + Leisure on Wednesday.

Both United and Delta told T+L that the partnership is meant to further improve the process of traveling to Hawaii, despite rules and restrictions brought on by COVID-19.

The pilot program is "part of [an] ongoing effort to make it easier for customers traveling to Hawaii to spend more time enjoying their trip and less time waiting in lines," a United spokesperson told us on Wednesday. "We believe testing is the key to opening domestic and international travel, and we'll continue to lead the way in rolling out solutions that are simple and safe, so our customers have what they need when they take their next trip with us."

Additionally, United recently launched a separate preclearance program for travelers heading to Hawaii.

"The pilot we announced today is one example of how we are exploring ways to integrate best-of solutions into our platforms for a seamless, stress-free experience for customers," a spokesperson for Delta told T+L of the partnership.

The new partnership is part of Hawaii's Safe Travels program developed last year to help restart the tourism industry in a safe way. Other initiatives have included "resort bubbles" on Kauai.Despite these steps, Ige remains cautious about opening up too quickly, The Associated Press reported this week.

"Until the science [tells] us that those who are vaccinated cannot carry the virus and, I think most important, do not transmit it to other people," he said at a press conference. "I think it would be irresponsible to say that those vaccinated can travel about freely."