Australia to Reduce Incoming Int. Passenger Capacity from July 2021

[amclod]

So I always told myself not to get too excited about Seat Son’s visit, even before the cap was cut in half. I thought I was manage to keep a lid on my emotions, but apparently I was not. Because I was totally devastated today to learn that his flight is not going to happen.

Not sure if SQ231 is cancelled or if he has just been bumped for a higher paying passenger but he was formally advised this afternoon that he will not be travelling.

I am extremely upset. Even though not really surprised, and I thought I was prepared for the inevitable, but I wasn’t.

I feel so powerlessly angry.

I’m sorry for you both.
I was to be visiting my dying brother in France for three weeks and returning on SQ231 on 6 Aug. I cancelled because of cap reductions for fear that I’d be bumped. Seat Son’s experience has confirmed how distressing this all is for stranded Australian citizens and residents.

 

[Seat0B]

I’m sorry for you both.
I was to be visiting my dying brother in France for three weeks and returning on SQ231 on 6 Aug. I cancelled because of cap reductions for fear that I’d be bumped. Seat Son’s experience has confirmed how distressing this all is for stranded Australian citizens and resident.

Oh @amclod I’m so sorry to hear it.

My son is not stranded at least. He lives and works in Dubai. It’s just that he has life admin here he needs to do in person. His sister had a baby that he has never met. His grandmother is fighting melanoma. His grandfather fell and broke his pelvis. You know, life. He’s fully vaccinated and just wants to see family. As I desperately want to see him. I haven’t seen him for over 18 months now - the longest time apart in his 30 years of life.

 

[dajop]

Not sure if SQ231 is cancelled or if he has just been bumped for a higher paying passenger but he was formally advised this afternoon that he will not be travelling.

I am extremely upset. Even though not really surprised, and I thought I was prepared for the inevitable, but I wasn’t.

I feel so powerlessly angry.

So disappointing for you. Hopefully madrooster can help perform miracles.

I wonder if it is co-incidence but we got a call from SQ saying we were bumped off a SQ marketed (but Scoot operated) flight to PER a similar amount of time before departure (about 12 days) not long after the caps were reduced. Our story hopefully will end up OK (if we don't get bumped again), as we were able to secure seats a couple of weeks later booked directly with Scoot in ScootPlus (not the same price though). I think having an LCC non-stop flight certainly is a blessing for us as they are difficult to use as connections from other ports.

One thing we've noticed though is Scoot inventory really comes and goes. Unfortunately, usually only 1-2 days out which is no go due to testing requirement. However the other day it came up with 5 seats in ScootPlus about 1.5 weeks out ... if it releases more than 2 seats then it will go into SQ inventory as a premium economy codeshare which can be booked in combination with flights from other ports such as DXB. Of course this is not useful if not flexibility with regards to work etc.

 

[Seat0B]

So disappointing for you. Hopefully madrooster can help perform miracles.

I wonder if it is co-incidence but we got a call from SQ saying we were bumped off a SQ marketed (but Scoot operated) flight to PER a similar amount of time before departure (about 12 days) not long after the caps were reduced. Our story hopefully will end up OK (if we don't get bumped again), as we were able to secure seats a couple of weeks later booked directly with Scoot in ScootPlus (not the same price though). I think having an LCC non-stop flight certainly is a blessing for us as they are difficult to use as connections from other ports.

One thing we've noticed though is Scoot inventory really comes and goes. Unfortunately, usually only 1-2 days out which is no go due to testing requirement. However the other day it came up with 5 seats in ScootPlus about 1.5 weeks out ... if it releases more than 2 seats then it will go into SQ inventory as a premium economy codeshare which can be booked in combination with flights from other ports such as DXB. Of course this is not useful if not flexibility with regards to work etc.

Thanks for sharing this information @dajop. As you know from earlier posts, it has been a major uphill battle for Seat Son to get approval to work remotely from Oz whilst doing his quarantine period, and I’m not sure how agile his firm is with last minute options. By that I actually mean I am pretty certain that his firm is not flexible at all .

 

[dajop]

By that I actually mean I am pretty certain that his firm is not flexible at all .

Yeh, from your earlier posts I gleaned that, I feel for you. It's difficult enough as it is, and unfortunately flexibility is almost a pre-requisite to travelling into Australia at the moment - timing, date, class and even city.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Yeh, from your earlier posts I gleaned that, I feel for you. It's difficult enough as it is, and unfortunately flexibility is almost a pre-requisite to travelling into Australia at the moment - timing, date, class and even city.

When Dr FM was coming back, she was pretty keen to fly into Brisbane as that was where she was going to work. By the end she just took whatever flight she could get and ended up flying into Adelaide. She also cut her contract in London short by a couple of weeks as that was the flight she could get. Fortunately the London hospital was terrific and very understanding.

 

[dajop]

When Dr FM was coming back, she was pretty keen to fly into Brisbane as that was where she was going to work. By the end she just took whatever flight she could get and ended up flying into Adelaide. She also cut her contract in London short by a couple of weeks as that was the flight she could get. Fortunately the London hospital was terrific and very understanding.

Yeh, you take what you can get. ADL did have good availability for a while, then that stopped of course. We are fingers crossed going into PER to do HQ before onwards to MEL....

 

[dajop]

Oh, on caps, we've been monitoring the SQ flight into PER, this week there has been a big jump in pax over last week. Last week they were carrying 10-20 pax per flight which seemed to fit with the new cap. This week has seen 24 on Sun, 23 Mon, 17 Tue and today 40 pax arriving. I wonder if therefore they are carrying competitors and support teams returning from the Olympics, which are above the caps.

The cynic in me also wonders if the caps were cut under the guise of Delta strain to accommodate the extra arrivals coming back from Tokyo ,

 

[Flashback]

When Dr FM was coming back, she was pretty keen to fly into Brisbane as that was where she was going to work. By the end she just took whatever flight she could get and ended up flying into Adelaide. She also cut her contract in London short by a couple of weeks as that was the flight she could get. Fortunately the London hospital was terrific and very understanding.

Mrs FB was like this, fought months to get approval to move to PER and work from there. We looked at similar again if/when we get over later this year (yeah right) and it's now completely off the cards so for her 2 weeks HQ will be hell, while I sit there working. Too many people took the p*ss so no one is allowed to work internationally now.

 

[Melburnian1]

Mattg's otherwise informative article today re the lower international arrival caps omits that it was State governments (led by Victoria and WA, particularly the former) that pushed for these lower inbound numbers.

NSW has done the vast majority of the heavy lifting with international passenger arrivals.

 

[Flying mermaid]

Mattg's otherwise informative article today re the lower international arrival caps omits that it was State governments (led by Victoria and WA, particularly the former) that pushed for these lower inbound numbers.

NSW has done the vast majority of the heavy lifting with international passenger arrivals.

I think Queensland was pretty pushy on lowering caps

 

[jakeseven7]

Mattg's otherwise informative article today re the lower international arrival caps omits that it was State governments (led by Victoria and WA, particularly the former) that pushed for these lower inbound numbers.

NSW has done the vast majority of the heavy lifting with international passenger arrivals.

Tasmania and ACT argued for a reduction in their numbers didn’t they?

 

[awmac1]

praying this thread doesn't deteriorate into a state vs state p1ssing match like facebook

 

[Pushka]

I know SA asked for a reduction as well, during some or other fluster here, because after all "we're all in this together" . I think only NSW didn't want to restrict.

 

[Flashback]

Meanwhile the WA Government wants to spend $400M of tax payers money to build a prison camp at Jandakot Airport, with construction starting next year. Shows you their hand on future policy around arrivals into the state (whether that be domestic or internationally).

 

[OZDUCK]

Meanwhile the WA Government wants to spend $400M of tax payers money to build a prison camp at Jandakot Airport, with construction starting next year. Shows you their hand on future policy around arrivals into the state (whether that be domestic or internationally).

But exactly the same style facility is being built in Victoria & Queensland. There is already one in the NT. Plus NSW has also requested construction of one in that state as well. The Commonwealth Govt. is funding the construction with the local govt. to operate them.

I think that you are drawing a long bow in what you said.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Yes the states are on lock step on this, but I think prison camp is not an unreasonable description. I've done my 14 days and paid my debt to society twice now. Luckily the first was home detention. The experence is now very jail like, from the time you are corralled by police and bussed with a police escort to your cell. You even get time off for good behaviour (14 days instead of 24, and a reduced fine, if you submit to all your tests).

Compared to the grim lodgings at Rydges in the Valley, the pictures of Camp Mickleham look positively choice. Like a prison farm rather than maximum security. Fresh air! goddam_!

Cheers skip

 

[RAM]

Oh, on caps, we've been monitoring the SQ flight into PER, this week there has been a big jump in pax over last week. Last week they were carrying 10-20 pax per flight which seemed to fit with the new cap. This week has seen 24 on Sun, 23 Mon, 17 Tue and today 40 pax arriving. I wonder if therefore they are carrying competitors and support teams returning from the Olympics, which are above the caps.

The cynic in me also wonders if the caps were cut under the guise of Delta strain to accommodate the extra arrivals coming back from Tokyo ,

Curous to note that after all the talk about why only Q should have access to fly passengers into Darwin on repatriation flights - there's JAL flying the Olympic athletes, support staff & AOC snouts there.

That's despite saying that no repatriation quarantine capacity would be taken up by the Australian Olympic Team.

Yet, not one question from the media about this Gold Medal Backflip supplanting around 800 repatriation places.

 

[map]

Australians abroad looking to return for a "visit" have another hurdle to climb. I understand the logic (wanting to remove pressure from quarantine capacity / flight caps for Australians stranded and wanting to return permanently).

‘Barbaric’: Returning citizens who live abroad will need permission to leave Australia

The move serves as a deterrent for Australians who live abroad but may need to return home for distress travel as it could prohibit them from being able to return to their life overseas.

www.smh.com.au

[Partial Extract]

The federal government has banned Australians who normally live in other countries from returning home without needing government permission in a move branded as “barbaric.”

Until now, residents of other countries who are Australian are allowed to leave the country without applying for an exemption, but are regularly questioned at the border and required to prove that they live abroad as part of the international border bans brought in at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

But on Thursday the government quietly changed the rule, effective from August 11, claiming it was a loophole.

Now, according to the government’s explanatory statement tabled in Parliament, a person will have to demonstrate to the Australian Border Force Commissioner a “compelling reason for needing to leave Australian territory”.

The amendment, which cannot be disallowed, “will reduce the pressure on Australia’s quarantine capacity, reduce the risks posed to the Australian population from COVID-19, and assist in returning vulnerable Australians back home,” the government said.

Exemptions can be granted for business travel, but the government has previously said it intends to clamp down on the number of them being granted.

The government did not issue a press release to alert the public to the change nor did Health Minister Greg Hunt, who tabled the amendment, raise it in any of his media interviews on Thursday.

Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews said the change was introduced out of consistency.

“This does not stop Australians ordinarily resident outside Australia from departing. However, these people will now need to apply for an exemption,” she said.

“The exemption’s regime is based on health advice and enables people to travel if essential, but is ultimately about keeping Australians safe from overseas COVID transmission.”

 

[RAM]

Curous to note that after all the talk about why only Q should have access to fly passengers into Darwin on repatriation flights - there's JAL flying the Olympic athletes, support staff & AOC snouts there.

That's despite saying that no repatriation quarantine capacity would be taken up by the Australian Olympic Team.

Yet, not one question from the media about this Gold Medal Backflip supplanting around 800 repatriation places.

...and if memory serves me correctly, one of the not-so-publicised conditions of an Olympic bid (heard about this for Brisbane?) is that the host country covers the travel costs for every other country's team & OC hangers-on.

John Coates complained to me about it, right after I asked why the NSW Govt paid them roughly $100m. IIRC that cost (air travel) was not borne by the AOC in the end but by Australian taxpayers. Try finding any details.

Would be good if some journalist/Federal MP enquired if the AOC is paying the quarantine costs given they're stopping around 5 or 6 repatriation flights. Next task, email to local Fed MP...