Flying in the age of coronavirus comes packed with uncertainty about the health status of fellow travelers. Now, Florida's Tampa International Airport is running a pilot program that offers on-the-spot COVID-19 tests for travelers.
With more than 120 people participating in the optional testing per day, Joe Lopano, Tampa International Airport CEO, said the program is showing promising results.
"We've had some customers who have tested positive and Baycare, the healthcare professionals, have a discussion with that passenger and tell them that they should not continue on their way and passengers have accepted it," Lopano told Cheddar.
The airport offers two tests, the $125 PCR nasal swab, which usually takes 3 to 4 days to yield results, and the $50 rapid Antigen test. The cost of both tests, Lopano said, can be covered by insurance companies if travelers provide a receipt from the airport.
Testing at the airport, according to Lopano, will not have much impact on overall travel time. In fact, those not checking a bag only need to account for an additional 30 minutes as a cushion, he added.
"It's immediate testing. Sometimes you have to wait in a short line. You'll get your results in 15 minutes, so it really is not a very time-consuming function and it's very convenient," Lopano said.
While other airports have implemented testing for specific destinations, Lopano said Tampa is the first to offer widespread testing for passengers on all flights arriving and departing. The pilot program is likely to continue running through the holiday season as the number of participants and customer satisfaction is assessed.
For Lopano, offering a testing site at the airport is not only maintaining passenger safety but can also help revitalize a struggling travel industry that is fighting to get customers off the ground.
"It's a high priority because we need to do whatever we can to create confidence in the travel experience and now that widespread testing is available, the technology is available, what better way to do that than right at the airport," he said.
Andrew Hawkins, transportation editor at The Verge, joins Cheddar News' closing Bell, where he breaks down FedEx's EV truck delivery from GM's BrightDrop Company while also discussing the shipping giant's strategy following its latest earnings report.
Alinda Mashiku, Conjunction Analysis and Risk Assessment Deputy Manager at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, joins Future of Space: Humankind's Leap Forward to explain how space debris is threatening operations in space at a time when more satellites are being deployed.
Marshall Smith, Senior Vice President of Space Systems at Nanoracks and Kirk Shireman, Vice President of the Lunar Exploration Campaign at Lockheed Martin join Future of Space: Humankind's Leap Forward to discuss upcoming plans for developing their Starlab commercial space station after being awarded a $160 million contract by NASA.
Both AMC and Cinemark shares rose Friday after a pandemic-era record number of moviegoers attended the 'Spider-Man: No Way Home' opening night. The movie is expected to pull at least $150 million in box office sales opening weekend. But is this momentum enough for theater chains as the COVID-19 omicron variant poses new threats? Daniel Loria, Editorial Director at Boxoffice PRO, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
The billionaire space race took off in 2021, making major strides in space tourism. That growth is only expected to skyrocket in the next year, as the government and private institutions and companies look to shape the final frontier's exploration. Cheddar News dives into the biggest moments of the year in space, and what comes next for space travel and tourism.
While other CEOs of Southwest and American Airlines questioned current mask mandates in front of Congress, Delta CFO Dan Janki in his exclusive interview with Cheddar, was more cautious about doing away with the safety measure. "We're right now at the beginning of another wave," he said. "This is probably not the time to change mask policy." Janki also discussed his airline's future in loyalty program pricing, international travel, meal services, and stock pricing.
E-commerce data platform Rokt is prepping for an IPO as it comes off of a $325 million Series E fundraise, and CEO Bruce Buchanan joined Cheddar to discuss the future of his company. He explained how Rokt uses data science to optimize the consumer experience with their clients and discussed the goal to go public in 2023. "We're at a size and scale now where it's important we can give liquidity to investors, we can use the public markets to attract more talent, and we can use the public markets also to go on and acquire more businesses," he said. "We think it's about time that we do list."
Rideshare company Lyft is following its competitor Uber into the food delivery market by partnering with Olo, the on-demand commerce platform, and its dispatch network. Joining Cheddar to discuss the team-up, Olo founder and CEO Noah Glass. "Consumers will be able to place orders through the same apps and websites they go to … and see delivery as an option," he said. "And Lyft is now one of the providers who may be picking up the order on behalf of the consumer and taking it from the restaurant to the consumer." Glass also stated that Olo optimizes deliveries without adding the burden of additional fees on the restaurant side.
Chloe and Halle Bailey are no strangers to hard work. The sisters got their start performing covers on YouTube and have become a force in the music industry. Since then, the two have spread their wings beyond their duo group to individual projects. Now they're coming together to face off in the LG OLED Ultimate Gaming Showdown. Chloe and Halle join Cheddar News to discuss.
