Batterytraveller
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Hopefully better than the chocolate teapot that is the COVIDSafe app.
Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted
oznflfan
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In no particular order:
*Election will be held at the latest May 2022, and everyone knows if we are strongly vaccinated borders are opening as soon as election is won, even if pollies are cagey and never mention the 'O' word all throughout the election (Opening).
*Dan VIC has stated categorically that VIC will not lose or cancel another major sporting even. Jan 2022 AO. He stated vaccinations up and up, and quarantine would look very very different.
*We will have everyone who wants a a vaccine have the chance to get one by say March 2022 at the latest, give the plebs/lazy/anti-vaxxers 3 more months to think about their options and then open international borders. This is exactly what Dan VIC + Anna QLD + Mark WA have stated in last few weeks.
**NOTE - everything I am writing above is more us to exit Australia as vaccinated citizens and be allowed to return, even if 7 days home quarantine which I could live with. I am not sure how we deal with tourists visiting Australia. We can ask for them to be vaccinated and tested per and post landing, but you cannot ask them to quarantine in any way shape or form. Maybe we are let out first, then 6-12 months later Gov't open the floodgates in full.
One oversea's trip under my belt in 2022, even if only SE Asia will get the bee in my bonnet softened.
Nice. I'd like to go for about 6 weeks in the middle of next year if I can't go in December 2021/January 2022. The longest I have previously gone for is about 3 and a half weeks, I think.
clifford
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Of course you can. Just look at Thailand. If they're keen enough they'll do it.
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drron
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At this stage it is only coughet that has opened to vaccinated travellers but it is not just the quarantine requirements that would put me off even if I wanted to go to coughet.
"Adult foreign visitors must provide proof of two vaccinations, a negative COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours before departure and proof of an insurance policy that covers treatment for the virus of at least US$100,000. Visitors will also have to follow mask and distancing regulations and take three COVID-19 tests at their own expense and show negative results. In addition, the government announced this week that if 90 new virus cases are reported per week in coughet it would impose additional restrictions.
After 14 days, visitors are free to travel further in Thailand without other restrictions. In preparation, some 70% of coughet’s residents have had at least one vaccine dose. In addition, all hospitality-related workers have been fully vaccinated."
"Adult foreign visitors must provide proof of two vaccinations, a negative COVID-19 test no more than 72 hours before departure and proof of an insurance policy that covers treatment for the virus of at least US$100,000. Visitors will also have to follow mask and distancing regulations and take three COVID-19 tests at their own expense and show negative results. In addition, the government announced this week that if 90 new virus cases are reported per week in coughet it would impose additional restrictions.
After 14 days, visitors are free to travel further in Thailand without other restrictions. In preparation, some 70% of coughet’s residents have had at least one vaccine dose. In addition, all hospitality-related workers have been fully vaccinated."
HOTELSMag.com
HOTELSMag.com is the online home of HOTELS magazine and gives daily news coverage of the global hotel industry.
www.hotelsmag.com
They’ll put in an exemption for work trips for less than X days (like the one in Italy right now - no isolation for trips of less than 5 days). Maybe allow home quarantine in which case some resorts will figure out how to make that appealing a la what the Maldives was doing back in jan/feb. I expect this to be a Christmas 2022 thing.
testing will remain extortionate but is less of a % of overall travel cost on a big trip to Oz. Eventually I think the airlines will bundle it into pricing/offer it as an at cost add on and the bulk procurement will drive the cost down. But it will be pricey to test in the short term - it’s killed the “pop to Europe for a weekend” market right now.
I tried to find this on Google but didn't find it, and unfortunately there was no source for the above. Can you please advise whether there has been an update to this?
Apologies if I have missed it in the pages since your post, I looked and didn't see it.
jonboixxx
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It's from here, select relevant country, a great tool.
Coronavirus Update (Live): 131,307,090 Cases and 2,857,945 Deaths from COVID-19 Virus Pandemic - Worldometer
Live statistics and coronavirus news tracking the number of confirmed cases, recovered patients, tests, and death toll due to the COVID-19 coronavirus from Wuhan, China. Coronavirus counter with new cases, deaths, and number of tests per 1 Million population. Historical data and info. Daily...
www.worldometers.info
Another article about the toll the hard borders continue to take.
Note the timeframes discussed.
www.smh.com.au
Qantas international pilots have revealed the significant toll extended periods without flying is taking on their mental health while other parts of the airline group expands domestic services.
The anguish facing long-haul pilots who have been stood down has been aired internally on the airline’s online communication system Yammer, in response to Qantas executive John Gissing last month seeking to “start a conversation” about Men’s Health Week.
In their comments, the pilots laid bare the impact a “seemingly endless stand-down” is having on their lives, warning that the “worry that breeds from uncertainty is palpable”.
The Herald obtained the messages on the basis that it did not name the pilots in order to respect their mental health.
One pilot, who was close to 500 days without flying, said he rarely slept through the night, and was usually awake between 2am and 4am.
“The financial hit has been significant, but it pales in comparison to the mental hit. The worry that breeds from uncertainty is palpable,” he wrote. “The uncertainty eats at you every day; it clouds your thinking, it affects your decisions and corrodes relationships.”
He warned the mental effects will be significant, and international crew felt abandoned as other parts of Qantas expanded while they faced a “seemingly endless” period of stand-down.
Qantas has added 45 routes to its domestic network since the start of the pandemic as the airline group seeks to gain market share vacated by its trimmed-down rival Virgin Australia. But most of Qantas’s international flying has been halted due to the government’s COVID-19 restrictions.
A Qantas A380 superjumbo pilot wrote it had been more than 460 days since he was last in uniform and it would “probably be that many again”.
“Every waking thought goes not just to figuring out ways to get money coming in so I can keep my apartment, and food in the fridge, but also thinking about what could happen in the future,” he said.
“In March last year, I, and hundreds of my colleagues were thrown under the bus, and have been reversed over and back again since.”
The A380 pilots have been the worst affected after all 12 of Qantas’ superjumbos were parked in the California desert last year. The airline does not expect them to return to service until 2023.
However, the flying kangaroo’s Boeing 787 and A330 aircraft are being used for repatriation services, freight flights and some domestic flying.
Nearly all the A380 pilots have been stood down since March last year, while 787 and A330 pilots are being rotated between stand-down and active duty. Those who have been stood down are eligible for $500 a week from the federal government’s international readiness payment.
More than 200 Qantas pilots are also on leave without pay. An A380 captain can earn a total package of about $440,000, while their counterparts on the A330 and 787 aircraft about $380,000.
Long-haul pilots would have to undergo several months of training to switch from larger international aircraft to flying domestic routes on the Boeing 737.
The airline’s latest forecast is for most of its international network to restart at the end 2021.
Another pilot warned that the mental health of many staff who had been stood down was at “breaking point”.
”Dealing with no income for a few months let alone more than 12 months and potentially more than two years is a significant challenge for people to deal with,” he wrote.
“This stand-down was not the ‘fault’ of Qantas but it seems the majority of the burden is being carried by those stood down and with little hope to re-start their aviation journeys until next year at the earliest.“
He expressed concern about long-haul pilots being stood down from flying while other parts of the airline group talk “excitedly about ‘new routes’.”
In another post, a Qantas long-haul pilot wrote that “constant backslapping” and announcements internally about new routes flown by other parts of the company while long-haul crew were stood down “wears a bit thin”.
In a statement, Qantas chief pilot Dick Tobiano said the airline knew it was an “incredibly tough situation” for its international pilots, with many having been on stand-down since the start of the pandemic.
“That’s why we are in constant discussions with government about international borders and why we are strongly encouraging everyone to take up vaccines when they can,” he said.
“As we’ve said many times, we are ready to fly internationally as soon as borders are open, and we are committed to bringing back A380 flying as soon as it’s viable.”
Australian and International Pilots Association president Murray Butt said uncertainty about when international flying would resume in a major way was having a significant impact on pilots.
“Some of the stories are quite distressing. At some stage a company like Qantas that has been at the forefront of social responsibility will have to assess what role it takes in looking after the welfare of its employees,” he said.
Note the timeframes discussed.
Qantas pilots lay bare mental toll from not flying
Long-haul pilots have revealed on the airline’s internal communication system the anguish of a “seemingly endless stand-down” from international flying.
Qantas pilots lay bare mental toll from not flying
By Matt O'Sullivan
July 8, 2021 — 5.00amQantas international pilots have revealed the significant toll extended periods without flying is taking on their mental health while other parts of the airline group expands domestic services.
The anguish facing long-haul pilots who have been stood down has been aired internally on the airline’s online communication system Yammer, in response to Qantas executive John Gissing last month seeking to “start a conversation” about Men’s Health Week.
In their comments, the pilots laid bare the impact a “seemingly endless stand-down” is having on their lives, warning that the “worry that breeds from uncertainty is palpable”.
The Herald obtained the messages on the basis that it did not name the pilots in order to respect their mental health.
One pilot, who was close to 500 days without flying, said he rarely slept through the night, and was usually awake between 2am and 4am.
“The financial hit has been significant, but it pales in comparison to the mental hit. The worry that breeds from uncertainty is palpable,” he wrote. “The uncertainty eats at you every day; it clouds your thinking, it affects your decisions and corrodes relationships.”
He warned the mental effects will be significant, and international crew felt abandoned as other parts of Qantas expanded while they faced a “seemingly endless” period of stand-down.
Qantas has added 45 routes to its domestic network since the start of the pandemic as the airline group seeks to gain market share vacated by its trimmed-down rival Virgin Australia. But most of Qantas’s international flying has been halted due to the government’s COVID-19 restrictions.
A Qantas A380 superjumbo pilot wrote it had been more than 460 days since he was last in uniform and it would “probably be that many again”.
“Every waking thought goes not just to figuring out ways to get money coming in so I can keep my apartment, and food in the fridge, but also thinking about what could happen in the future,” he said.
“In March last year, I, and hundreds of my colleagues were thrown under the bus, and have been reversed over and back again since.”
The A380 pilots have been the worst affected after all 12 of Qantas’ superjumbos were parked in the California desert last year. The airline does not expect them to return to service until 2023.
However, the flying kangaroo’s Boeing 787 and A330 aircraft are being used for repatriation services, freight flights and some domestic flying.
Nearly all the A380 pilots have been stood down since March last year, while 787 and A330 pilots are being rotated between stand-down and active duty. Those who have been stood down are eligible for $500 a week from the federal government’s international readiness payment.
More than 200 Qantas pilots are also on leave without pay. An A380 captain can earn a total package of about $440,000, while their counterparts on the A330 and 787 aircraft about $380,000.
Long-haul pilots would have to undergo several months of training to switch from larger international aircraft to flying domestic routes on the Boeing 737.
The airline’s latest forecast is for most of its international network to restart at the end 2021.
Another pilot warned that the mental health of many staff who had been stood down was at “breaking point”.
”Dealing with no income for a few months let alone more than 12 months and potentially more than two years is a significant challenge for people to deal with,” he wrote.
“This stand-down was not the ‘fault’ of Qantas but it seems the majority of the burden is being carried by those stood down and with little hope to re-start their aviation journeys until next year at the earliest.“
He expressed concern about long-haul pilots being stood down from flying while other parts of the airline group talk “excitedly about ‘new routes’.”
In another post, a Qantas long-haul pilot wrote that “constant backslapping” and announcements internally about new routes flown by other parts of the company while long-haul crew were stood down “wears a bit thin”.
In a statement, Qantas chief pilot Dick Tobiano said the airline knew it was an “incredibly tough situation” for its international pilots, with many having been on stand-down since the start of the pandemic.
“That’s why we are in constant discussions with government about international borders and why we are strongly encouraging everyone to take up vaccines when they can,” he said.
“As we’ve said many times, we are ready to fly internationally as soon as borders are open, and we are committed to bringing back A380 flying as soon as it’s viable.”
Captain Tobiano said the airline was providing resources and support to help crews who were stood down, and it was fortunate the federal government had provided some financial support until at least October for those whose work was impacted.Australian and International Pilots Association president Murray Butt said uncertainty about when international flying would resume in a major way was having a significant impact on pilots.
“Some of the stories are quite distressing. At some stage a company like Qantas that has been at the forefront of social responsibility will have to assess what role it takes in looking after the welfare of its employees,” he said.
Last edited:
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I’m hoping for an essential work related conference in Dubai at the end of the year/start of next year for the same reasons.
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Yes spontaneous travel as we knew it in the past for fun and enjoyment is definitely a thing of the past for a very Long time to come I fear.
Pushka
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Marshall made mention of this again today but with no date. SA seems to be the trial state. Maybe end of year?
I just saw this article:
Home quarantine on national cabinet agenda as PM pushes faster AstraZeneca coverage
State premiers and territory leaders will also meet on Friday to consider vaccinations for fly-in, fly-out workers after outbreaks in mining staff.
Pom-DownUnder
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fingers crossed, good article.I just saw this article:
Home quarantine on national cabinet agenda as PM pushes faster AstraZeneca coverage
State premiers and territory leaders will also meet on Friday to consider vaccinations for fly-in, fly-out workers after outbreaks in mining staff.
I just had my second pfizer today, have a trip booked to go to uk in december, back to aus in Jan. hoping it gets off the ground
Funniest post of the day, Shouldn't be in the Humour thread?
Flippancy aside, there does seem to be further "discussions" on the agenda. But mostly, these sorts of "discussions" never seem to go anywhere. I suspect 2021 maybe very optimistic, and the trial will only apply to a small number of travellers, but I would dearly love to be proven wrong.
Matt_01
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Marshall is always spouting off about something without commitment
That been said where can one sign up for the trial, I will sell it to Mrs and MissM as a reconnaissance or practice trip for a family trip later in 2022 
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I’m seriously considering relocating to ADL to take partMarshall is always spouting off about something without commitment
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