We all know the travel experience will be vastly different as we move into our post-COVID-19 reality. But the question is, just how different is it going to be? It appears that onsite coronavirus testing at airports could be the next major change.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO) recently installed rapid-result testing facilities in the international terminal for their employees. Results are available within an hour. Recently, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo shared the news that he plans on developing COVID-19 testing sites at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) and LaGuardia Airport (LGA) in New York, specifically for passengers.

RELATED: 7 Of The Best Brunch Restaurants In San Francisco, California

Adobe Stock

“How do you make sure you’re not getting infected from people coming in from other states?” Cuomo said during an August 24 press conference where he briefly discussed the plans. “We’re actually setting up testing sites at our airports to be able to do faster testing of people coming in.”

According to AFAR, the testing sites are being set up by Port Authority of New York and New Jersey in conjunction with NYC Health + Hospitals, which operates the city’s public hospitals and clinics. Cuomo did not specify when the testing facilities would be up and running.

With several states still requiring 14-day quarantines for travelers entering from high-risk states, Alaska’s major airport is giving arrival passengers options. They can either show proof of a negative COVID-19 test that was taken with 72 hours, they can quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, or take a COVID-19 test at the airport–upon arrival.

Getty Images

RELATED: A Hotel In The Maldives Is Attracting Visitors By Offering COVID Testing

This move is not uncommon in other international airports. According to Reuters, Germany’s Berlin-Tegel Airport and Frankfurt Airport have on-site testing facilities. Hong Kong airport also provides testing for travelers arriving from high-risk locations and Japan’s Haneda, Narita, and Kansai Airports have integrated rapid results coronavirus testing into their passenger arrival procedures as well.

With travel expected to pick up steam in 2021, we will need to be prepared for some major changes.