- Hi. How are you?
- I'm great. How are you today?
- I'm great. Thank you very much.
- Since the beginning of the Corona crisis,
getting into the US has been really difficult,
If not impossible.
They've had some
of the strictest border controls in the whole world.
And even now, you can't enter the US if you've been
in certain places within 14 days of your arrival.
At the time of filming this video, that includes most
of Europe, South America, and large parts of Asia as well.
I've been here in Mexico for several weeks now, which means
that I'm ready to take the jump and go into the States,
but there's still restrictions that need to be met.
So today we're going to be taking a trip
with American Airlines from here in Mexico City
to Miami, Florida, to try out the new COVID procedures.
See what it's all about,
and see just what it's like to head back to the USA.
All right.
So first step then is to get my COVID test,
which is done just downstairs in the airport.
They actually advise that you just get
to the airport a little bit early on the day
you fly and get the test on them.
I'm going to get it today,
so that I know I've got it.
So let's head downstairs and see what
this process is like.
Like many airports around the world,
Mexico City has a pop-up COVID test facility
right outside the terminal building.
You just turn up, pay for your test,
and wait for your results.
- Muchas Gracias. Thank you.
Well that was all very easy, wasn't it?
A little COVID test down there.
Should have my results back in about 20 minutes,
they said by email.
Quick swab up your nose,
and it cost about 20 quid for that.
So it wasn't too bad at all, really.
So hopefully 20 minutes we'll have the results back,
and then we are good to fly.
Just got my results back.
And it's negative.
20 minutes that took from having the test
done downstairs to getting it back here.
That was really quick.
Not even had time to get a coffee
since I got back to my room.
So, next step then is to use the VeriFLY app
that American Airlines are partnering
with to get my results loaded in
so that they know that I am good to fly tomorrow.
Okay. So let's load the app up then.
VeriFLY
Start. Here we got then.
Terms and conditions, blah-di-blah.
I agree.
Yes. Um okay.
Account details. So I put my name in here.
Okay. Take a profile photo.
Accept photo.
Yeah, I'm good with that.
Onboarding complete.
Okay. So we'll do that then.
To add new passes, scan the QR code by pressing
the QR code button,
or press browse below.
Trip to USA.
Cool.
Flight details confirmed.
Right.
Submit your COVID-19 test review.
Once you have your COVID-19 test results,
please complete this form.
This is where I need to submit my COVID results,
from the place downstairs.
Just do a screenshot
Test time.
15:56.
Laboratory or ordering physician:
MDT
Laboratorio Clinico.
Test result. Negative.
Why would you be submitting a test result that was positive?
Submit.
Here we go.
This was what happens next.
What happens next?
So it needs to go off and be reviewed now by
presumably the airline who access VeriFLY,
and see everything on there.
In the meantime, I need to do a Travel Attestation Form.
Attestation.
airlines must ensure the passengers are going to do this.
They must have a test.
I attest that I have received a negative
pre-departure result for COVID-19.
So there we go. I will submit that.
So, we're just out waiting on the go-ahead
from American Airlines when they actually got look
at the app, and tell me
basically whether I can get on board the plane.
Okay. I literally finished that video, put the camera
away and then I got a ding on my phone
and yay, test results have been passed!
Click OK to update your pass.
Okay. So that means now, my COVID test has been approved
by the Americans presumably,
and now I am clear to enter the US.
Everything's on here on the VeriFLY app.
That's pretty cool. Isn't it?
Right. That's the plane landed.
Then let's head downstairs then
and see if we can get onboard.
Let's go.
- Muchas gracias, Senora.
Thank you.
Have a good day.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
Hello. I need to drop my bag for Miami.
- Yes, may I have your passport, please?
- Yes, of course.
- A few questions for you.
Please let me know,
how long have you been here in Mexico?
- For 15 days now.
- Which part of the country have you been visiting?
- I've been to Cancun,
and Juarez, and Tijuana,
and Acapulco.
I've been all over.
Been working here for two weeks.
Flying all over.
- Like a trip reporter?
- Yeah, exactly.
- It's so cool.
- Two weeks here and then I'm
off to the States for a bit as well.
So do some more there
and then, home.
- You said you have your COVID test with you?
- I do. Yes.
I've done the VeriFLY app.
Do you need that?
But I have a print as well.
- Does it show you in the app
the huge check mark?
- Is it that one?
- Perfect. With your VeriFLY app in hand,
go with my colleagues,
they will give you the declaration,
and you can go to check-in.
- Okay, perfect.
Thank you very much.
Hello there.
Hi. How are you?
Checking in for Miami, please.
- Perfect.
Okay, sir.
Passport. You have VeriFLY. Perfect.
With this information
you can go get your boarding pass
there in the counter.
- Perfect.
Thanks. Thank you very much.
Thank you.
Hi. How are you?
- I'm good. Thank you.
- To Miami.
- At 4:20 pm.
- 4:20. Yeah.
So there is my passport.
And I have my VeriFLY thing.
- Do you have ?
Ah you have VeriFLY.
- Yes. I have a print as well if you need.
- That decision letter
is not necessary with VeriFLY.
- Perfect.
- Boarding time will be 3:35 pm.
- Perfect. Thank you.
- Gate 36.
- Excellent. Thank you very much.
- behind the glass.
- Excellent. Thank you so much, sir.
Have a good day.
Thank you.
Bye-bye.
Boarding pass in hand.
All the questions and everything
seemed to go pretty smoothly.
They just want to say the big green tick
on the VeriFLY app, and I've done that and yeah.
Given my boarding pass, and we were ready to go.
Let's head to Miami.
Hey, right out the gate, this terminal is a lot bigger
than you think it is, ya know?
I've kind of been living in one little bit
of the terminal for quite a while now.
And there's like a whole other world at the international
end of the terminal that I never even realized existed.
So outside the gates, this seems to be where
all the American flights go from,
cause they're all sort of AA flights
at all the Gates.
Shall be boarding in about half an hour, I think.
But it doesn't seem to be too
busy down there at the moment, but we'll see.
- Sir, may I see how handsome you are?
- Not very is the answer.
Muchas gracias.
Hello there.
Muchas gracias. Adios.
Hasta la vista,
Mexico.
Hi. How are you?
- I'm great. How are you today?
- I'm great. Thank you very much.
I'm onboard the American 737.
It's been a long
while to here me saying that.
I'm on an American airline.
This is really good.
It's a really nice cabin.
The first class cabin, actually.
Decent amount of leg room.
We've got a little
phone and tablet holder there, which is quite nice.
And wifi apparently
on board as well.
That's good.
Recline controls and little
storage hold and everything there.
It's pretty decent.
The food services.
They submit some, yeah, it's nice to be back
on an American plane,
heading to the States.
Looking forward to his a lot.
- Welcome aboard American Airlines
Flight 506, with service to Miami International Airport.
So here we were then after 12 months away,
finally on board a plane back to the USA.
Our route to Miami today,
took us East over the Gulf of Mexico,
passing North of Cancun and Havana,
before descending over the Florida Keys
into Miami.
Flight time today was two hours
29 minutes, cruising at 39,000 feet.
So airborne from Mexico, this is the moment that we say
hasta la vista, baby, to Mexico.
And howdy you all, how you all doing,
to the United States of America,
where we will be in a couple hours time.
Oh, oh. There's food coming out.
They're bringing more food around.
So we've got the choice between
a turkey and cheese sandwich, or a cheese and fruit tray.
And I went for, bum da da bum bum bum,
the turkey and cheese sandwich.
All good.
Even comes with a chocolate chip cookie as well.
Bonus.
I have to admit
to feeling some very strange emotions on this flight.
America has always been like a second home to me.
Some where I'd visit at least once every couple of months.
Not being able to visit in a year,
has for me, been the hardest part
of the restrictions to deal with.
The last time I left the States was a few days
before the travel restrictions came into place.
So this flight felt incredibly symbolic.
Not only that there's now hope
on the horizon now that we have vaccines,
but also because the America I was about to arrive in,
was a very different to America
to the one I left behind on that March day last year.
Thousands have lost their jobs, their livelihoods,
aircraft remain grounded
across the country.
And of course we can't forget the people who didn't make it
through this.
But as we started our descent into Miami,
and I got my first glimpse of America in over a year,
I have to admit to having a tear in my eye to be back
in the place, thousands of miles from home,
that's still welcoming me in, just like home.
This flight cost me 212 pounds,
40 or 293 US dollars.
This works out at a cost of about 17 pence per mile.
Thanks very much.
Cheers.
I'd like to say a big thank you
to my patrons who have given me
and each of us so much support.
You can join our WhatsApp group
and weekly zoom calls at the link on the screen now.
Here we are then.
In my home for the next week
in Miami, Florida.
Yay. That was an interesting experience.
Going through immigration here.
It was sort of really quiet.
And I think because of that within half an hour of landing,
I was out in the Uber on the way to my hotel,
which is my home now for the next seven nights
because I have to stay here now,
and do my bit to sort of stay
out of people's way for a week.
To stay in this hotel
before I can move on and do the next thing.
The VeriFLY app worked brilliantly.
Really impressed with that.
Literally, just test done on the app,
The big green tick
and you just flash your phone to everyone.
It's really, really easy and simple
and you can tell the
doing it to make it as simple as possible.
Really, really good.
So thumbs up to VeriFLY.
And thumbs up to American as well.
And I never really thought I'd say that,
but I was a bit sort of nervous
at the beginning of the flight.
And I was a bit worried that all I was going to get
on the flight was this little plastic bag with a bag of
pretzels in it.
But actually they pulled it out of the bag,
and they were coming around with sandwiches
and cookies, and drinks all throughout the flight.
It was really, really good.
So yeah,
and the cabin crew were really friendly as well.
Every single one of them was really nice and pleasant.
So yeah, thumbs up to American.
Something I never thought I'd be saying.
But they were really good today.
So credit where credit's due.
Really good experience with them today.
I hope this has been a useful video,
and you've enjoyed seeing what it's like to come
into the US using that VeriFLY system.
Let me know down in the comments, what your thoughts are.
In the meantime as always, thanks for watching.
Take care, and I'll see you on the next one.
Bye for now.