The huge Covid-test price differences at airports around the world
Revealed: The huge Covid-test price differences at airports around the world, with Kansai in Japan the most expensive at £293 and Mumbai the cheapest at £1.45
- Skytrax found a $396 (£287) price difference between the highest and lowest costs for airport PCR testing
- The respected UK-based air transport rating agency found a difference of $212 (£153.55) for antigen tests
- It said: ‘The pricing and convenience of the process are likely to deter international travel for many’
Having a negative Covid-19 test is now a requirement for international travel in 2021 that’s near-universal – but the prices for them at airports are anything but.
Research by respected UK-based air transport rating agency Skytrax found a $396 USD (£287) price difference between the highest and lowest costs for standard PCR testing at airports around the world and a difference of $212 (£153.55) for rapid antigen tests.
The study covered the published fees of 77 airports that provide testing services for departing passengers in Europe, Africa, Asia, North and South America.
Kansai International Airport in Japan has the highest PCR pricing with a standard processing fee of $404 (£293)
Research by respected UK-based air transport rating agency Skytrax found a $396 USD (£287) price difference between the highest and lowest costs for standard PCR testing at airports around the world
PCR COVID-TEST AIRPORT PRICE DIFFERENCES
Kansai 404 (USD)
Helsinki 317
Stockholm 295
Tokyo Narita 275
San Francisco 261
Nagoya Centrair 256
New York JFK 179
Copenhagen 168
Zurich 162
Amsterdam 154
Munich 152
Chicago O’Hare 145
Luxembourg 142
Oslo 142
Warsaw 136
East Midlands 135
London City 135
London Luton 135
Manchester 135
London Stansted 135
Los Angeles 125
Singapore 120
Dublin 118
Vienna 118
Birmingham 110
Edinburgh 110
Glasgow 110
London Heathrow 110
Ft Lauderdale 106
Vilnius 95
Rome Fiumicino 83
Prague 83
Berlin 82
Cologne 82
Dusseldorf 82
Frankfurt 82
Hamburg 82
London Gatwick 82
Brussels 80
Bogota 77
Athens 71
Seoul Incheon 71
Malaga 69
Madrid 69
Palma Mallorca 69
Hong Kong 64
Denpasar Bali 61
Sao Paulo 61
Jakarta 54
Muscat 50
Riga 44
Cape Town 42
Johannesburg 42
Dubai 41
Kyiv Zhuliany 40
Kyiv Boryspil 40
Almaty 36
Istanbul 33
Moscow DME 30
Hurghada 30
Sharm El Sheikh 30
Rostov-on-Don 26
Koltsovo 24
Moscow SVO 23
Kuromoch 22
Nursultan 20
Tokyo Haneda 17
Minsk 15
Delhi 11
Mumbai 8
Rates shown: All the above test costs are shown in US Dollars, and the local rates have been converted to US dollars using currency exchange rates on April 15, 2021.
Skytrax stressed that in some countries, the testing rate is fixed by the national government and may be subsidised. Similarly, it pointed out, there is a varied policy on taxation of testing. In the UK, for example, 20 per cent of the fee charged is the government VAT tax.
Kansai International Airport in Japan has the highest pricing with a standard processing fee of $404 (£293), with the lowest cost being for domestic departing customers travelling from Mumbai Airport, who can access PCR testing for just $8 (£5.80).
At the higher end of PCR test costs, said Skytrax, ‘most of the airports are in developed markets where factors such as infrastructure, staff, and laboratory costs are high, and some testing providers also report difficulty in achieving the necessary economies of scale due to the restrictions placed on international travel, where testing is generally needed’.
Many US airports do not currently offer on-site PCR test facilities, but among those that do, Ft Lauderdale Airport is the cheapest at $106 (£76). JFK, pictured, charges $179 (£129)
Heathrow, pictured, charges £79/$110 for a PCR test, in line with Birmingham, Edinburgh and Glasgow
Mumbai offers the cheapest PCR ($8/£5.79) and antigen ($2/£1.45) tests in the world
In Europe, Riga Airport was the cheapest at $44 (£31), with many German airports charging around $80 (£57), and in the UK, the airport PCR tests vary between $82 (£59) and $135 (£97).
Many US airports do not currently offer on-site PCR test facilities, but amongst those that do, Ft Lauderdale Airport is the cheapest at $106 (£76), according to the study, through to San Francisco International Airport charging $261 (£189).
In assessing the price versus processing times, Russian airports offer the most passenger-friendly testing regime, said Skytrax, with pricing between $22 (£15) and $30 (£21) for standard processing and results frequently delivered within 12 hours.
Moscow Sheremetyevo offers an express PCR test for $36 (£26) with the result given in under two hours, which is amongst the best overall service available, the agency declared.
A smaller number of airports offer rapid antigen tests, Skytrax revealed, and of the selection studied, the costs range from a high of $214 (£155) at Helsinki Vantaa Airport through to the cheapest of $2 (£1.45) charged at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport.
A smaller number of airports offer rapid antigen tests, Skytrax revealed, and of the selection studied, the costs range from a high of $214 (£155) at Helsinki Vantaa Airport through to the cheapest of $2 (£1.45) charged at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport
ANTIGEN COVID-TEST AIRPORT PRICE DIFFERENCES
Helsinki 214
New York JFK 149
Oslo 142
Chicago O’Hare 120
Stockholm 100
Luxembourg 94
Zurich 86
Amsterdam 82
East Midlands 81
London City 81
London Luton 81
Manchester 81
London Stansted 81
Los Angeles 80
Glasgow 75
Ft Lauderdale 74
Berlin 70
Cologne 70
Dusseldorf 70
Birmingham 69
Edinburgh 69
London Heathrow 69
London Gatwick 69
Dublin 58
Frankfurt 58
Hamburg 58
Munich 54
Panama City 50
Sao Paulo 49
Milan Malpensa 47
Warsaw 44
Vienna 42
Bologna 42
Vilnius 41
Bogota 41
Copenhagen 40
Prague 38
Moscow DME 35
Riga 29
Malaga 28
Madrid 28
Palma Mallorca 28
Mexico City 27
Kyiv Zhuliany 25
Kyiv Boryspil 25
Rome Fiumicino 23
Istanbul 21
Denpasar Bali 17
Tokyo Haneda 16
Minsk 16
Cancun 15
Seoul Incheon 14
Jakarta 14
Mumbai 2
Rates shown: All the above test costs are shown in US Dollars, and the local rates have been converted to US dollars using currency exchange rates on April 15, 2021.
Skytrax said: ‘While the airport testing infrastructure has developed significantly in the past six months, the pricing, speed, and convenience of the process in most countries are likely to remain a substantial deterrent to large scale international travel for many customers.
‘Skytrax continues to see a lack of global cohesion in travel testing. Apart from the substantial price differential between the highest and lowest PCR test costs, standard processing times are highly variable, and the required timeframe for results differs per country (e.g 24/48/72/96 hours) and even the terminology for test names can vary from country to country.
‘There is a catalogue of tests available – PCR, antigen, lateral flow, Lamp, nucleic acid amplification [more on this below] – plus many others for which the requirements per country are yet to be standardised.
‘The study analysed the prices for a range of services involving regular and expedited processing times. Standard laboratory turnaround timings were mainly within a 24 to 72 hour period, with some faster premium services being able to give results within one hour.
‘The research recorded the highest and lowest priced available services available from airport test providers. Some airports provide testing from a range of clinics, and for the purpose of this investigation, we did not include any VIP type services.’
What you need to know about testing…
By Denis Kinane, Chief Medical Officer at Cignpost Express Test
When travel is reopened, what part will testing play?
Currently, most countries say they will require holidaymakers to have a negative Covid-19 test no more than 72 hours before they travel. Most countries say this must be a PCR test, which can detect Covid-19 at an earlier stage as it is more sensitive than other tests, allowing greater confidence.
Will holidaymakers who have been vaccinated need to take a Covid-19 test?
The WHO has indicated that vaccines do not rule out current Covid-19 safety measures, such as mask wearing and testing. We don’t yet know whether vaccines stop people getting or transmitting Covid-19, so PCR testing is the most effective way of ensuring a holidaymaker is not carrying Covid-19 when they travel.
Will I need a vaccine passport?
When it comes to travel, the concept of ‘vaccine passports’ has become a hot topic. Desperate for a return to normality, many countries are contemplating endorsing ‘vaccine passports’ as part of their plans to reignite international travel over the coming months. Many are unhappy with the idea of ‘vaccine passports’ however, due to their concern that vaccine passports could lead to discrimination against those who have not been vaccinated for cultural or medical reasons, or because they are not on the government’s priority list. In response to this unrest, the EU is expected to draw up plans for ‘Green Digital Certificates’, which would show whether EU citizens have had the vaccine, a negative Covid-19 test, or have previously had Covid-19. This Vaccine certificate is consistent with the WHO’s recommendations.
Does the EU’s Digital Green Certificate remove the need for testing?
No. According to the EU’s launch announcement, the certificate will be given to any EU citizen who can provide evidence that they have been vaccinated, have recently tested negative or have acquired antibodies after recovering from the virus. Around 24million people in Britain won’t receive their second vaccination until late summer and autumn, including many of those aged between 18 to 40 who are in the lowest risk groups, so testing is essential for them to travel abroad this summer. In addition, the WHO has made it clear that being vaccinated in itself does not fully mitigate the risk and Covid-19 safety measures will have to be retained.
What are the different types of Covid-19 tests?
Denis Kinane, Chief Medical Officer at Cignpost Diagnostics, says that the PCR test has an accuracy of 99 per cent (file image)
Broadly, there are two different types of testing. One to find out if a person currently has Covid-19 and the other determines whether they have previously had the virus, been vaccinated and built-up immunity (antibodies).
PCR
PCR (Polymerise Chain Reaction) is currently the most common form of testing in the UK and at 99 per cent accuracy, is seen as the most reliable test for viral carriage. If you have been tested by the NHS in a testing centre, or have been sent an NHS test in the post, this will have been a PCR test. A swab is used to collect a sample from the patient’s tonsils and inside their nose and this is then sent to a laboratory to test for genetic material called RNA. Bioscientists can then see whether the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus that causes Covid-19) is present.
Lateral flow
A rapid antigen test, also known as a lateral flow test, detects proteins on the surface of the virus, called antigens. Inserted into the nose or throat, the swab is then inserted into a tube of liquid. The liquid is then dropped onto a small strip, which will show two lines if it is positive, one line on the top if it is negative or one line on the bottom if the test is invalid. Lateral flow tests use similar technology to a pregnancy test. These tests are the cheapest option and return results within 30 minutes, but are less accurate than PCR tests, as they can only detect a high load of the Covid-19 virus, so they can miss up to one third of positive cases. In addition, because of the low prevalence of Covid-19 in the population at present, they are also likely to have a high level of false positives. Antigen tests are therefore most accurate when used within a few days of the start of your symptoms, when there is a higher viral load present in your body.
SAGE, the government’s scientific advisory group, has warned that with mass testing using lateral flow tests, false positives and false negatives could have ‘critical implications’ for effectiveness, so follow-up confirmatory tests are extremely important with lateral flow positive results. Given SAGE’s advice, lateral flow can only be considered a red light rather than a green light indication, meaning that facemasks, social distancing and viral hygiene will still be necessary.
LAMP
A similar process to PCR testing, LAMP (loop-mediated isothermal amplification) tests are the least common. They require a swab from the nose and throat and give results within 90 minutes. Similarly to lateral flow tests, LAMP tests can only detect a high load of Covid-19 virus, so they can miss people in the early stages of infection. Samples can be processed on-site and are analysed to confirm the presence or not of SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
Antibody
Antibody testing looks at whether your body has produced any antibodies to fight against the virus. This is done via a blood test and must be taken from a Covid 19 patient whose symptoms ended three to four weeks before. This test then determines whether any antibodies are present. Currently, there are tests in development that would allow a person to submit their own blood test from home.
Which test will holidaymakers need to travel?
For a definitive list of testing requirements, travellers should visit the official Gov.uk website. It is important that holidaymakers check the rules for the destination they are visiting as it will be their responsibility to take the right tests.
What about returning to the UK?
The UK has a testing process that is even more rigorous than the departures process as it requires arrivals to isolate for 10 days and have negative PCR tests on or before day two, and on day eight of their entry into the UK.
Why are testing rules different by destination?
The WHO has indicated that vaccines do not rule out current Covid-19 safety measures, such as mask wearing and testing
These are political decisions based on countries’ own experiences of Covid-19, the need to get their tourism industry up and running, and the safety procedures they already have in place.
How can tests be used to open up travel?
The Government’s traffic light system demonstrates that testing will be a crucial measure in providing a safe pathway out of the current crisis and reopening travel. Although green list countries are yet to be announced, we know that testing will be required for all bands – green, amber and red.
For those travelling from countries in the green category, there will be no need to quarantine on return. However, they will be required to take a pre-departure test as well as a PCR test on arrival back in the UK.
Travellers from amber listed countries will need to quarantine for 10 days in addition to taking a pre-departure test and two PCR tests (on day two and day eight) with the option to take up the test and release scheme to end self-isolation early.
Those arriving from red countries will be subject to the strictest of restrictions and will be required to complete a 10-day stay in a managed quarantine hotel, as well as pre-departure testing and two further PCR tests.
It’s clear that the only way to safely open up travel will be to apply the most effective precautionary measures. Although the Government has defended the use of lateral flow tests in the past, the recent Cochrane Review found that they miss up to half the asymptomatic carriers of Covid and show a false positive as much as two thirds of the time. From the measures laid out in the traffic light system, it seems that the Government now recognises that the gold-standard PCR tests will be integral to reopening travel, as it detects the viral load of individuals with high sensitivity and specificity far greater than any other test. By implementing testing procedures based on PCR technology, we can protect our country from importing new and more dangerous variants of Covid whilst ensuring a simple and effective way to reopen travel this summer.
Challenges on testing going forward
One of the biggest hurdles to the reopening of society will be one of confidence, as both consumers and the government must have complete faith in the accuracy of the tests taken to open up all sectors of society safely. Lateral flow tests are fast-acting and cheap, but also miss a significant proportion of positive cases. In comparison, gold-standard PCR tests, whilst costlier, produce significantly more accurate results. This has initiated a debate around how the government finds a balance between protecting lives and the cost-effectiveness of their testing strategy, one which I suspect will continue to rage on until the end of the pandemic.
Is a combined approach the solution?
It’s clear Covid-19 testing is going to become a normal part of life, at the very least until the UK’s vaccination programme is complete. There are advantages and disadvantages to every type of test, so now, the challenge is to determine the most effective combination of testing. In my view, as long as people understand the limitations of lateral flow testing, using a combination of the different technologies available to us is the best solution.
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