Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

[Berlin]

That is correct. Heard on rumour mill NSW may come out tomorrow with announcement re: home quarantine to override that if vaccinated.

I hope you are right about the NSW announcement- I'll be checking hourly until Air New Zealand releases proper uncapped flights back home.

 

[oznflfan]

Did it mention that you can take a connecting flight to a country area? My home town is a a 50 minute flight serviced by Qantas.

Question has been asked a thousand times, and affects me as I am a minimum of 1,500 KM's away from any international incoming flight. We are at the mercy of political numptys though. You would imagine by mid November we'll all have a clear(ish) answer. Been this long already, a few more weeks......................................

 

[mhouse165]

Hmm, I don't think that makes sense as it says that red zone travellers will need to "undertake mandatory quarantine in designated accommodation for 14 days from the day they entered". So that would be the current state, would it not be?

That article goes on to say "or as otherwise determined by the state or territory of arrival". Guess that is where NSW home quarantine for fully vaxxed arrivals would come into play??

 

[DeltaBega]

Question has been asked a thousand times, and affects me as I am a minimum of 1,500 KM's away from any international incoming flight. We are at the mercy of political numptys though. You would imagine by mid November we'll all have a clear(ish) answer. Been this long already, a few more weeks......................................

It’s a key detail when we book an International flight. We simply want to know if the scheme will operate for rural and interstate passengers.

 

[jrfsp]

So Greenzone is international travel without quarantine?

It sounds like green zone will be home quarantine and red zone will be hotel quarantine?

 

[Berlin]

It sounds like green zone will be home quarantine and red zone will be hotel quarantine?

That's what I would have thought...

 

[arrow]

Hmm, I don't think that makes sense as it says that red zone travellers will need to "undertake mandatory quarantine in designated accommodation for 14 days from the day they entered". So that would be the current state, would it not be?

"Red zone

The Australian Government currently requires travellers arriving in the red zone to undertake mandatory quarantine in designated accommodation for 14 days from the day they entered Australia, or as otherwise determined by the state or territory of arrival. Modified quarantine requirements may be applied to vaccinated travellers. The quarantine period and nature of quarantine accommodation may change at short notice. They may also be required to undergo health screening within the airport terminal.

The underlined bit probably provides flexibility for states like NSW / Vic to do 7 day from quarantine for vaxxed travelers.

 

[Ade]

Re : Green & Red zoning of the airport & essentially the country one travels from - I have got a few questions.

1. Does it mean that we can no longer take a "scenic" route on international trips ? Imagine transiting via a few countries (edit : solely for the purposes of earning SCs and making the best use of DSCs, should they EVER come up again) before reaching your destination, or before arriving into AU.

2. What happens if you are on a scenic route (say, MAA-DEL-CMB-SIN-BNE-MEL-OOL-CBR) and there happens to be a spike in CMB or even domestic (BNE/OOL/MEL) on the day you are transiting. Does it mean you get on to the "red" list?

3. How will AU airports determine if the "green" & "red" pax have not had a chance to mingle in any one of the transit airports?

 

[MARTINE]

Re : Green & Red zoning of the airport & essentially the country one travels from - I have got a few questions.

1. Does it mean that we can no longer take a "scenic" route on international trips ? Imagine transiting via a few countries before reaching your destination, or before arriving into AU.

2. What happens if you are on a scenic route (say, MAA-DEL-CMB-SIN-BNE-MEL-OOL-CBR) and there happens to be a spike in CMB or even domestic (BNE/OOL/MEL) on the day you are transiting. Does it mean you get on to the "red" list?

3. How will AU airports determine if the "green" & "red" pax have not had a chance to mingle in any one of the transit airports?

My brain aches already

 

[Ade]

My brain aches

I used to get those when I plan my scenic routes ... Boy, were they stressful times ... I don'tuse a travel agent to do my bookings (simply because most of my trips are self funded) ... so for the 4 or so days when the DSC is going on, I will look like a mad-man trying out complex routing using Matrix ITA to see the best SC earn rate and get the best bang for my buck ...

So, I feel you when you say "My brain aches"

 

[Pom-DownUnder]

I think instead of the spray they used to walk down the aisles with to kill bugs it'll just be cans of spray paint now and you just a nice streak on your head so you know you are either part of the annointed or a leper lol

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Re : Green & Red zoning of the airport & essentially the country one travels from - I have got a few questions.

1. Does it mean that we can no longer take a "scenic" route on international trips ? Imagine transiting via a few countries (edit : solely for the purposes of earning SCs and making the best use of DSCs, should they EVER come up again) before reaching your destination, or before arriving into AU.

2. What happens if you are on a scenic route (say, MAA-DEL-CMB-SIN-BNE-MEL-OOL-CBR) and there happens to be a spike in CMB or even domestic (BNE/OOL/MEL) on the day you are transiting. Does it mean you get on to the "red" list?

3. How will AU airports determine if the "green" & "red" pax have not had a chance to mingle in any one of the transit airports?

The simple version would be if you hit a red zone in the last 14 days due to a spike, then red zone rules (unless there is an applicable exemption/exclusion for 'true' transits)

 

[Ade]

(unless there is an applicable exemption/exclusion for 'true' transits

Hopefully the definition of "true" transit is finalized soon ... we are going to need it

 

[Telemachus]

Re : Green & Red zoning of the airport & essentially the country one travels from - I have got a few questions.

1. Does it mean that we can no longer take a "scenic" route on international trips ? Imagine transiting via a few countries (edit : solely for the purposes of earning SCs and making the best use of DSCs, should they EVER come up again) before reaching your destination, or before arriving into AU.

2. What happens if you are on a scenic route (say, MAA-DEL-CMB-SIN-BNE-MEL-OOL-CBR) and there happens to be a spike in CMB or even domestic (BNE/OOL/MEL) on the day you are transiting. Does it mean you get on to the "red" list?

3. How will AU airports determine if the "green" & "red" pax have not had a chance to mingle in any one of the transit airports?

Those are all good questions. For comparison, the way the UK traffic light system has worked was that you were managed on arrival according to the ‘worst’ country you had spent time in, including airport transit: hence the general unhappiness with the original design of the scheme which had people scrambling to fly home early in order to evade an imminent recategorisation of the country they were visiting.

Possibly relevant is that this is an updated version of a previous DoH fact sheet issued in Aug 2020. Might be helpful to compare versions to see exactly what they chose to add/amend 2 days ago. In any case, if the references to red/green zones and to quarantine arrangements really represent how far the Dept of Health (and the Commonwealth broadly) has progressed with its thinking, and this is the full extent of the guidance to the industry they feel able to provide, then it’s not reassuring at all. The drafting of the passages about quarantine seems to be deliberately opaque pending decisions by State & Territory jurisdictions.

Sorry about the brain ache: I knew no good would come of drawing attention to that document.

Edit:
Checked the Home Affairs website in search of new/updated content in parallel with what appeared on the Health site. On a page called Travel for Vaccinated Australians, updated on 13 Oct, it now says:

States and Territories are responsible for determining, and managing, reduced quarantine arrangements for vaccinated Australians and permanent residents. This may involve home quarantine for a reduced period of time. You must check with the State or Territory that you are returning to for their quarantine arrangements.

So there we have it: the Commonwealth’s dept dealing with border control has no responsibility at all for quarantine and there is no national model. Hardly news, I know, but this should not pass unremarked.

 

[OATEK]

Re : Green & Red zoning of the airport & essentially the country one travels from - I have got a few questions.

1. Does it mean that we can no longer take a "scenic" route on international trips ? Imagine transiting via a few countries (edit : solely for the purposes of earning SCs and making the best use of DSCs, should they EVER come up again) before reaching your destination, or before arriving into AU.

2. What happens if you are on a scenic route (say, MAA-DEL-CMB-SIN-BNE-MEL-OOL-CBR) and there happens to be a spike in CMB or even domestic (BNE/OOL/MEL) on the day you are transiting. Does it mean you get on to the "red" list?

3. How will AU airports determine if the "green" & "red" pax have not had a chance to mingle in any one of the transit airports?

My brain aches already

Or perhaps if a double-vaxxed Aussie returning home, you will just go through and home for 7days. But if you are a citizen of a RED zone, and don't have a recognised vaccine swirling around inside, you go off to 14 days in HQ or similar.

 

[MARTINE]

Or perhaps if a double-vaxxed Aussie returning home, you will just go through and home for 7days. But if you are a citizen of a RED zone, and don't have a recognised vaccine swirling around inside, you go off to 14 days in HQ or similar.

.. but like the red & green ‘have you got sausages in your luggage’ quarantine lanes..

 

[oznflfan]

Or perhaps if a double-vaxxed Aussie returning home, you will just go through and home for 7days. But if you are a citizen of a RED zone, and don't have a recognised vaccine swirling around inside, you go off to 14 days in HQ or similar.

Except is very probably SA, WA, NT, ACT, QLD and TAS it'll be 14 days home quarantine, just in case. Those states would be 'You do understand that 1% of COVID positives are found during days 10-13 - best to be safe!'

 

[Ade]

But if you are a citizen of a RED zone, and don't have a recognised vaccine swirling around inside, you go off to 14 days in HQ or similar.

Could this be worded to say that "But if you are a citizen of a RED zone OR don't have a recognized vaccine swirling around inside" reason is, someone could be a citizen of a RED zone AND also an Australian ("dual-citizen" for documentation purposes) with an approved vaccine swirling inside.

And being a citizen of a RED zone, implies someone who has spent over past 14 days in their country of citizenship (or residence, depending on the intent of arrival into AU) and NOT having an approved vaccine swirling inside, entering AU on a foreign travel document.

And this foreign national could have an approved vaccine swirling inside too ... another case to consider in the wording of the legislation/rule/law/recommendation/note whatever ...

 

[PineappleSkip]

2. What happens if you are on a scenic route (say, MAA-DEL-CMB-SIN-BNE-MEL-OOL-CBR) and there happens to be a spike in CMB or even domestic (BNE/OOL/MEL) on the day you are transiting. Does it mean you get on to the "red" list?

You will have to keep abreast of the rules for transit in DEL, CMB, SYD, BNE, MEL and OOL, and if the past is the key to the future you can expect the rules to change. Obviously your itinerary is currently invalid beyond BNE, unless you leave 14 days after you arrived.

Cheers skip

 

[ayushamity]

Scoot now flying into Sydney from mid November