Debate sparked as Qantas reopens international flights from July 1

Based on hopes that vaccines will help the world gain control of the coronavirus outbreak, Qantas has reopened its international travel bookings from July 1 this year, despite there being no announcement by the Australian government as to when the country’s border closures will be relaxed.

The airline is planning for flights to go ahead in six months’ time, including to England, which has gone into a nationwide lockdown for a third time, as well as America, which is still recording thousands of new Covid-19 cases daily. However, according to Executive Traveller, flights to New York and Chicago remain out of Qantas’ schedule for now.

It’s also expected that travel to Asian countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan will resume in July. Currently, New Zealand is the only overseas destination on Qantas’ timetable.

The news comes about six weeks after Qantas CEO Alan Joyce announced that both international travellers visiting the country and people departing Australia will need to be vaccinated against Covid-19 before they board the aircraft, under new terms and conditions that will be implemented across the airline.

Speaking to Channel Nine’s A Current Affair program in late November, Joyce said that proof of vaccination for international travellers will be a “necessity” going forward.

“We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say for international travellers, we will ask people to have a vaccination before they can get on the aircraft,” he said. “Whether you need that domestically, we will have to see what will happen with Covid-19 and the market. But certainly for international visitors coming out and people leaving the country, we think that’s a necessity.”

This has had a lot of people talking, with some feeling excited by the prospect of being able to leave Australia, and others feeling concerned that it’s too early and the risk of the pandemic worsening is a high probability if Aussies are travelling between countries with high case numbers. Many are also confused as to why Qantas would reopen bookings when the government is yet to announce when the country’s border closures will end.

“I highly doubt Aussies will be allowed on these flights out of Australia until early 2022,” @football_roos commented on Twitter. “Maybe New Zealand in six months, but only if you’ve been vaccinated.”

“Given there’s no evidence that the vaccine will prevent you from catching (and passing on) coronavirus, I’m not sure our government will drop travel restrictions this quickly,” @ValerioVeo said.

Commenter @AndrewT78830352 was firmly against the idea of overseas travel any time soon, writing, “Really? Who the hell is going near the USA right now?”

And @Australianspin agreed commenting, “This is not what the world needs, unless those flights are freight carrying vaccine.”

But some were clearly in favour of the plan for international travel to resume, even volunteering themselves to take the vaccine as soon as it lands on our shores.

“I look forward to the day the aviation industry and travel resumes, just like the way it was pre-Covid,” @armoarin wrote. “It is a positive sign that @Qantas are allowing customers to book international flights on their website from July 1, onwards.”

And @Bridget59299241 added, “I am happy to be the first passenger to have the vaccine and board a Qantas flight to the UK when the borders open for international travel.”

Regardless of what happens with the borders, Qantas has had a positive start to the year after being named the world’s safest airline for 2021 by AirlineRatings.com. The website said the airline has “amassed a truly amazing record of first in operations and safety and is now accepted as the industry’s most experienced airline”.

Further to that, Qantas was praised for being a leader in a number of new technologies, including automatic landings using Global Navigation Satellite System and real-time monitoring of its engines across its fleet. Qantas previously held the title of the world’s safest airline from 2014 to 2017, tied for first in 2018, and was named number one again in 2019 and 2020.