Sarah Thomas was barred from a flight to her father's funeral because she didn't have the correct paperwork proving that she doesn't have Covid-19. Photo / Supplied
Sarah Thomas was barred from a flight to her father's funeral because she didn't have the correct paperwork proving that she doesn't have Covid-19. Photo / Supplied
Sarah Thomas thought she had done everything she was meant to do to board a plane in the Covid era.
Once she heard that her father had died in Britain, she began preparing to travel there. She booked a pre-departure Covid test at the local medical clinic, forking out almost $160 for the service.
But she was denied boarding a Singapore Airlines flight at Auckland Airport on Monday because the Kaipara Medical Centre didn't provide her with the right paperwork.
"When I spoke to the nurse, she said you'll get a text message, but you'll also get an email so that you can print it out and give the hard copy to the airline. That's what I did," Thomas said.
Kaipara Medical Centre practice manager Debbie Eastwood accepted responsibility for the mistake, saying the nurse who took the Covid test should have told Thomas that she needed to return to the clinic to pick up a Labtests document confirming her negative test result.
But she said the advice on the Ministry of Health website should be made clearer so other passengers realise that they need a detailed document.
Thomas got a second Covid test today, has booked a new flight to Britain on Thursday and will still get to her father's funeral in late February. But she is upset that she was unable to join her grieving mother sooner.
"My mum, obviously she's on her own now and she's looking forward to me coming back," she said.
She said the Singapore Airlines customer services officer at Auckland Airport was "brilliant".
"He gave me his personal card and two different flight options depending on when you get your test," she said.
The Ministry of Health advice for passengers leaving New Zealand is to check on the Covid requirements for entering the country they are travelling to.
If a pre-exit Covid test is required, they are advised to contact their general practitioner (GP) and go in for a Covid test.
"Your GP will let you know the result of the test," it says.
"Assuming the test is negative, you will be given a hard-copy document with the results to take to the airport. Take your negative test results with you to airport check-in."
The British Government website says passengers arriving in Britain must take the test in the three days before their flight departs.
"Your test result can be provided as:
*• A printed document
• An email or text message you can show on your phone - make sure your device is charged," it says.
Neither site says that an email or text message is insufficient.
But Eastwood said the nurse who gave Thomas her negative test result should have asked her to come into the clinic to collect the full medical laboratory document showing the date of the test, the name of the nurse who ordered the test analysis and the name of the laboratory that analysed it.
Kaipara Medical Centre gave Sarah Thomas her full negative Covid test result from Labtests (above) on February 9, too late for a flight that she was due to catch on February 8. Image / Supplied
She said a senior nurse who spoke to Thomas on the phone when she first booked the test did advise her of the correct process, but the nurse who actually did the test "didn't realise" that Thomas needed to come back for the full details.
"So we obviously are going to make sure that all our staff know about it," she said.
The process was complicated by the long Waitangi weekend holiday.
The flight that Thomas booked was due to leave Auckland at 3.15pm on Monday. That meant she had to be tested on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.
She had the test at 1.30pm on Friday and received the email and text with the negative result at 10.15am on Saturday. The Kaipara Medical Centre closed at 12pm on Saturday, so even if she had realised that she needed to get the full test details she would have had to move quickly.
Eastwood said: "We could obviously scan it and text it to Sarah, although we didn't work on Monday so that would have been a problem."
Today she took no chances. After getting a second Covid test in Helensville, she drove the sample to Labtests' laboratory in Mt Wellington herself to make sure they get the results back to her in time for her new flight on Thursday.
Sarah Thomas was barred from her flight to her father's funeral because she didn't have the full paperwork on her Covid-19 test. Photo / Supplied
Board of Airline Representatives director Justin Tighe-Umbers said he was not aware of anyone else turned away from any flight due to not having a full laboratory report.
However Singapore Airlines spokesperson Karl Schubert said: "With more countries introducing the need for a negative Covid-19 test prior to departure, there has been a slight increase in the number of passengers without the required certification for travel."
"Singapore Airlines encourages customers to ensure the information they receive from their testing facility adheres to the requirements of their destination, as destination arrival requirements can differ," he said.
