US private jet charter broker Paramount Business Jets (PBJ) has expanded its passenger safety practices with the availability of expedited pre-trip COVID-19 testing through a new partnership with The COVID Consultants, allowing healthy passengers to avoid otherwise mandatory quarantines on arrival.

“We are pleased to announce that our clients flying domestically in the US or internationally can now receive expedited COVID-19 testing so they may avoid 14-day quarantines,” comments PBJ founder and CEO Richard Zaher. “This partnership with The COVID Consultants not only offers them expert remote testing capability, but also the benefit of receiving their results in an incredibly short period of time.”

Founded earlier this year by a team of infectious disease doctors and medical specialists, The COVID Consultants provides remote COVID-19 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) and antibody testing, with results back within 72 hours to anyone within the contiguous United States. “At the moment, we are able to guarantee a 24-hour turnaround from when the sample arrives at the lab, which is the fastest turnaround in the country,” says infectious disease specialist Dana Lerman, co-founder of The COVID Consultants.

Under this partnership, clients may arrange testing through the expert charter consultants at Paramount Business Jets at the time of booking their private jet charter experience. The COVID Consultants then sends a home testing kit via next-day shipping, along with detailed instructions for providing a test sample and returning it to the lab.

Negative test results are sent via email along with a copy of the US FDA emergency use authorisation to demonstrate the passenger's compliance with official requirements. Anyone testing positive for COVID-19 is contacted by The COVID Consultants to reiterate US Centers for Disease Control recommendations and provide guidance on when to go to the hospital, if necessary.

“With coronavirus cases now spiking across the country,” Dr. Lerman continues, “many state-level testing facilities are overwhelmed and may take one week or longer to return test results. In addition to the added stress for those waiting on their results, such timeframes also far exceed the on-demand nature of private jet charter travel.”

“Perhaps even more important than the time factor, however, is that this partnership allows our clients to take their tests from the safety and comfort of their homes,” Zaher explains. “Instead of going to a local clinic, waiting in long lines and potentially exposing themselves in the process to other patients.”

While Zaher believes this expedited testing capability marks a first in the private jet charter industry, he emphasised that keeping PBJ clients safe and healthy while they travel remains his company's highest priority.

“We constantly look for ways to enhance our clients' private jet charter experience. This is a valuable service that, besides offering our clients the means to avoid quarantines at their destination, also provides important health and safety benefits and, perhaps most importantly, peace of mind,” he concludes.