Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

[luxury-lizard]

We had a cruise booked in the Seychelles for March 2022 - cancelled and re-booked for 2023 a couple of months ago thinking - no way can this happen - maybe pulled the trigger too soon. But even with the international border open - some countries may not be "safe" enough to travel to.

Maybe this thread can be closed once details are confirmed on opening

 

[Seat0B]

For the first time, PM acknowledges frustrations of expat Australians

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the sacrifices of Australians stuck overseas had helped save 30,000 lives.

www.smh.com.au

too little, too late to apologise and acknowledge now.

edited to add: although it is good to see him talking of home quarantine by Christmas. Doesn’t say how long.

 

[mviy]

It certainly won’t bring back the moments missed and it is long overdue, but it is a positive step.

It’s not only Australians unable to come home for key family moments, but Australians unable to leave to attend them overseas.

Here in VIC for example we haven’t had a state or federal election since COVID started. None of us in VIC have had a say in an election about all this.

 

[Must...Fly!]

Chief reporter of The Age has started to make some noise. I expect this will continue to gather pace.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1435734066314108929

Just ignore the replies from covidiots who still want to live in a fantasy land where COVID doesn't exist

 

[mviy]

We will be past 40% fully vaccinated for 16+ on the national average when yesterday's numbers are released today and over 65% with a first dose as well.

If not now we should be getting to the point pretty soon where the majority of voters want us to open up our international borders to some extent and get on with life.

 

[Seat0B]

Chief reporter of The Age has started to make some noise. I expect this will continue to gather pace.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1435734066314108929

Just ignore the replies from covidiots who still want to live in a fantasy land where COVID doesn't exist

yahoo - finally! We need a lot more people to wake up and smell the coffee about this.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Chief reporter of The Age has started to make some noise. I expect this will continue to gather pace.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1435734066314108929

Just ignore the replies from covidiots who still want to live in a fantasy land where COVID doesn't exist

Interesting way to redefine the term 'covidiot'

I think it used to mean someone who doesn't believe in COVID being a serious disease and refuses to socially distance and wear masks. You are now trying to make it include someone who believes COVID is a serious disease, but doesn't accept it will remain circulated in society.

We will be past 40% fully vaccinated for 16+ on the national average when yesterday's numbers are released today and over 65% with a first dose as well.

If not now we should be getting to the point pretty soon where the majority of voters want us to open up our international borders to some extent and get on with life.

50% will never be enough because international borders is not the number 1 issue, you will need something akin to a super-majority.

 

[mviy]

I guess we are in the minority here, but the international travel ban for Australians is the biggest policy failure of the entire pandemic in this country in my view (the next biggest is the ridiculous amount of time VIC has spent in lockdown - how a state with less than a 1000 deaths of people with COVID could have the world's longest time in lockdown is beyond ridiculous, I would go so far as to call it evil). It has caused huge stress and anguish for many who needed to travel and would have ignored travel warnings to do so, and have been denied exemptions to travel. I would have traded all my other trips overseas for the one I needed to make last year. Last year's one to the UK was the only one the Australian government had ever had a problem with.

You take the 40% and add say the 10% that don't want to get vaccinated and you're already at 50%. We'll be well past 50% come November and there's the super majority.

 

[sydunipete]

I guess we are in the minority here, but the international travel ban for Australians is the biggest policy failure of the entire pandemic in this country in my view

I would specifically call out the DFAT decision to categorise every country as DO NOT TRAVEL. That instantly made everybody's travel insurance null and void at the time they needed it the most. For what benefit? They already prevent citizens and PRs from leaving Australia. So it served no worthwhile purpose. It was a shameful act.

 

[Must...Fly!]

You are now trying to make it include someone who believes COVID is a serious disease, but doesn't accept it will remain circulated in society.

There are some deniers mixed in there. People demanding a return to zero are quickly veering in to that category though in my opinion. Can't stick one's head in the sand forever.

 

[drron]

I think the WA Premier doesn't want QF to transit PER on the way to LHR.

WA border likely shut until April

West Australia could have its borders shut to the rest of the country for another seven months as Premier Mark McGowan takes a swipe at stranded overseas Aussies.

www.news.com.au

 

[auriga]

I guess we are in the minority here, but the international travel ban for Australians is the biggest policy failure of the entire pandemic in this country in my view ....

Agree!
Places like Taiwan and Singapore did not have a travel ban for their own residents.

 

[jb747]

I think the WA Premier doesn't want QF to transit PER on the way to LHR.

He wants QF to go to WA. He just doesn't want them to land there.

I cannot see any scale in international operations whilst there is any form of inbound quarantine, no matter where it is. Why would any tourist subject themselves to that?

 

[justinbrett]

He wants QF to go to WA. He just doesn't want them to land there.

I cannot see any scale in international operations whilst there is any form of inbound quarantine, no matter where it is. Why would any tourist subject themselves to that?

Agree, I think it will be mostly outbound travel at the start, which is not bad for Qantas but not as good for foreign airlines.

 

[Pushka]

. I've just rejoined a Viking FB site and bloody heck, those people are travelling everywhere in the northern hemisphere. Cruises. River and Ocean. Land trips. Flights across the countries.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Agree!
Places like Taiwan and Singapore did not have a travel ban for their own residents.

Probably blame it on the Bali holidaying covidiots amongst others (along with Aust at the time not being ready).....the Government gave enough warnings and it was not having the intended effect.

 

[JB expat]

Some United Airlines workers who are exempted from vaccinations will be put on leave. (Published 2021)

www.nytimes.com

United Airlines put workers on leave who refuse to get vaccine - for ANY reason. They are working through the details, but definitely taking a hard line re: vaccine mandate and refusals. Please read the article (if you can) for the nuances, but it is pretty clear where United stands.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Apart from workers, do we have any information on which airlines are requiring vaccination for customers?

 

[Seat0B]

. I've just rejoined a Viking FB site and bloody heck, those people are travelling everywhere in the northern hemisphere. Cruises. River and Ocean. Land trips. Flights across the countries.

I've been painfully aware of this as Seat Son makes alternative plans for his leave that should have been spent here. He will be going to Romania, Hungary and Poland for 10 days with his mates from the UK. This adds to his trips made earlier this year to Georgia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Croatia, Slovakia, Germany, Austria and Greece. His international borders have been well and truly open. They were also pretty open in 2020 when he made several trips to the UK with former GF, and also another trip to Greece. It's only our borders that have been closed, for way too long, without any sensible plan to get them open, without proper compassionate options and it is just wrong.

The more I think about this, the angrier I get. I have an ex-pat Aussie in my family (as I know you do, and many others too) and the weasel words in the PM's speech I posted above about the absolutely disgusting treatment of my ex-pat, and all the others, and all those stuck here with family overseas, just do not come close to showing understanding or empathy. Especially in the context of his "fully within the rules" Father's Day trip to Sydney. The total lack of empathy and understanding and the mismatch between words and actions is all too apparent.

I am very angry. I was a life long liberal voter. I will not be voting for them at the next election. I may have to do a spoiled ballot to get my message across as the ACT always elects Labor anyway

 

[dajop]

I cannot see any scale in international operations whilst there is any form of inbound quarantine, no matter where it is. Why would any tourist subject themselves to that?

Not a tourist, but as an Australian who resides overseas, I am beginning to think that inbound quarantine is by far the easiest option rather than trying to work out how to get overseas vaccination status recognised in Australia, without a myhealthrecord or medicare card. Call number A, A refers you to B, B to C and C to A and around we go. Can fill in paper work, but they are currently only dealing with paperwork submitted early July. Best estimate for processing the paperwork is December. Which with Xmas means late January.

Hopefully the vaccination passports will be up and working, and it's two way (overseas recognition within Australia) ... unless they are foreign tourists will be "Locked Out" (to quote Dan), because businesses won't know how to recognise foreign vaccines. Another hot mess in the making.

Might be easier to just pop in to get a couple of AZ shots whilst I'm here, to boost the two Pfizers I had O/S.