Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

[mhouse165]

From 01 November 2021, all Singapore Airlines flights to Sydney are ‘For Eligible Passengers Only' (FEPO) flights. While these FEPO flights can already be booked using cash, they can only be redeemed with miles starting 23 October 2021.

For Eligible Passengers Only (FEPO) flights​

Singapore Airlines will begin flying quarantine-free For Eligible Passengers Only (FEPO) flights from Singapore to Sydney starting 01 November 2021.

To board this flight, all passengers must meet the following requirements:

• You are an Australian citizen, permanent resident, or their immediate family member.
• Being fully vaccinated with a TGA approved or recognised vaccine, such as Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Janssen-Cilag, Moderna, Coronavac, or Covishield. Children under the age of 12 and those who cannot be vaccinated due to a medical condition are exempted from this requirement.
• Presenting a vaccination certificate issued by a national/state-level public health authority or an accredited vaccination provider, in the form of a digital or paper certificate. A letter will not be accepted.
• Presenting a negative result for a PCR test taken within 72 hours before flight departure.
• Completing the Australia Travel Declaration at least 72 hours before flight departure.
• Further requirements may apply. Please check the latest requirements to confirm your eligibility before booking.

Interesting. Hopefully this is what Qantas adopts. Can easily supply that kind of vaccination evidence. On the NSW govt website i notice it mentions that international arrivals must -

• prove full vaccination as recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and have their vaccination status certified by the Commonwealth.

Not sure how "certified by the commonwealth" happens....

Anyway as I said we still have 6 weeks til we travel, no doubt a lot of things will become clearer in that time!

 

[Telemachus]

Interesting. Hopefully this is what Qantas adopts. Can easily supply that kind of vaccination evidence. On the NSW govt website i notice it mentions that international arrivals must -

• prove full vaccination as recognised by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and have their vaccination status certified by the Commonwealth.

Not sure how "certified by the commonwealth" happens....

Anyway as I said we still have 6 weeks til we travel, no doubt a lot of things will become clearer in that time!

I would suggest the 'certified by the Commonwealth' wording could allude to the requirement for pax to submit an Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) to Home Affairs at least 72 hrs pre-dep for a flight inbound to AU. This is in place now as a webform replacement for the IPC: see link here.

My flight isn't imminent either but out of curiosity I created an ATD a/c with DHA. Couldn't get to the step where you provide approved/recognised vax status details because the form is to be completed & submitted maximum 1 week before travel. You receive an email or in-app approval from DHA in advance which you show at check-in, which suggests the key step does not depend on airline & border staff trying to verify an array of different format vax certificates.

Just to keep us on our toes the ATD is due to be replaced soonish by the Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD).

 

[OATEK]

I would suggest the 'certified by the Commonwealth' wording could allude to the requirement for pax to submit an Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) to Home Affairs at least 72 hrs pre-dep for a flight inbound to AU. This is in place now as a webform replacement for the IPC: see link here.

My flight isn't imminent either but out of curiosity I created an ATD a/c with DHA. Couldn't get to the step where you provide approved/recognised vax status details because the form is to be completed & submitted maximum 1 week before travel. You receive an email or in-app approval from DHA in advance which you show at check-in, which suggests the key step does not depend on airline & border staff trying to verify an array of different format vax certificates.

Just to keep us on our toes the ATD is due to be replaced soonish by the Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD).

Yes the DPD is coming - I have a relative doing the training at Border Force over the coming months. Will be a big change when it comes - imagine the production issues that the TV show will face when they say - "but you signed this and it is a legal document" as they slap it down on the counter.

 

[mhouse165]

I would suggest the 'certified by the Commonwealth' wording could allude to the requirement for pax to submit an Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) to Home Affairs at least 72 hrs pre-dep for a flight inbound to AU. This is in place now as a webform replacement for the IPC: see link here.

My flight isn't imminent either but out of curiosity I created an ATD a/c with DHA. Couldn't get to the step where you provide approved/recognised vax status details because the form is to be completed & submitted maximum 1 week before travel. You receive an email or in-app approval from DHA in advance which you show at check-in, which suggests the key step does not depend on airline & border staff trying to verify an array of different format vax certificates.

Just to keep us on our toes the ATD is due to be replaced soonish by the Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD).

Thank you for explaining that to me....super helpful!

A bit apprehensive about the fact it can only be submitted a week before departure.......if your vaccination proof is not accepted then you only get a week to try and sort it out.
I'm going to stay positive and hope it will all work out fine!

 

[PineappleSkip]

The ATD has been around for a long time, I completed one in March and it was one of the things I needed to show at checkin. It was effectively a registration that I certified that got the Federal govt forewarning of my arrival. It didn’t involve the Commonwealth certifying anything but I think it validated my passport details. I had to separately produce my test results.

I also had to complete the green incoming passenger card on arrival which of course covers matters like goods biosecurity and declarations.

Queensland also had their own declaration to be completed in advance, which was what I had to produce when I entered Queensland. If the digital thingy replaces that Qld duplicate, great, but I’m not particularly confident about that.

It will be interesting how ABF implement the DTD. An advance form about when I’m coming or what I reckon I will probably bring doesn’t replace a form that declares what I actually turned up at the border with.

cheers skip

 

[Telemachus]

The ATD has been around for a long time, I completed one in March and it was one of the things I needed to show at checkin. It was effectively a registration that I certified that got the Federal govt forewarning of my arrival. It didn’t involve the Commonwealth certifying anything but I think it validated my passport details. I had to separately produce my test results.

I also had to complete the green incoming passenger card on arrival which of course covers matters like goods biosecurity and declarations.

Queensland also had their own declaration to be completed in advance, which was what I had to produce when I entered Queensland. If the digital thingy replaces that Qld duplicate, great, but I’m not particularly confident about that.

It will be interesting how ABF implement the DTD. An advance form about when I’m coming or what I reckon I will probably bring doesn’t replace a form that declares what I actually turned up at the border with.

cheers skip

Thanks for the detail of your own experience of using the ATD: it may have been around for a while but it’s not a tool that was in use when I last flew internationally.

Note, though, that in March 2021 when you used it the ATD didn’t collect vaccination status info: that only began after some subsequent public prompting. As is still the case, proof of vaccination was not a prerequisite for inbound travel and made no difference in a regime where (almost) everyone has gone into HQ.

It would be of interest to hear comment from more recent arrivals who have used the ATD specifically to input their proof of vax doc. Guidance on the DHA site certainly gives the impression the process involves validation of some sort. However, I think we have to wait until after 1 Nov to learn how well ATD (or DPD) will work for us as passengers when there is so much more riding on successful verification of proof of vaccination credentials:

• a go/no go decision at or before check-in with potential for off-loading; and
• determination of whether a passenger qualifies for whatever form of quarantine (if any) is mandated for fully vaccinated arrivals in the relevant AU state/territory.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Yes, vaccination status wasn't a thing generally back in March.

a go/no go decision at or before check-in with potential for off-loading

Always a potential but post COVID travel this has entered a different realm. Every country and every transit point has its own requirements. Last trip just last week my doco was Ok for entry at destination and each transit but visa didn't match TIMATIC which I knew would be dramatic. After a call by CX to consulate at checkin I was warned of the possibility of offloading en route and there were further checks at HKG and FRA departures. after the system rejected my BP every time. There was also a check of my Vacc certificate on arrival in HKG.

IATA Travelpass might provide a better solution longer term to all the paper, but it is still in trial and you can't log in unless your airline sends you a code. And it tells you what TIMATIC does so in some cases it may be a hindrance!

Cheers skip

 

[jpp42]

IATA Travelpass might provide a better solution longer term to all the paper, but it is still in trial and you can't log in unless your airline sends you a code.

Sorry I think I'm not following the distinction here, what is different between the IATA Travelpass and the "International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate" that Australians can generate via Medicare right now? It's also an IATA format, right?

 

[yohy?!]

The level of privilege on this thread is becoming a little much.

Have several friends in the health system who are bracing for serious levels of deaths and hospitalization as Dom lets it rip.

Plenty of lessons are being ignored from the UK when they opened at this low a level of total population also.

 

[Berlin]

The level of privilege on this thread is becoming a little much.

Have several friends in the health system who are bracing for serious levels of deaths and hospitalization as Dom lets it rip.

Plenty of lessons are being ignored from the UK when they opened at this low a level of total population also.

What I hear from all my friends in Europe and the US is that they're happy clappy like nothing ever happened, traveling partying mingling and all. If anything, they're laughing at us down here for still being imprisoned.

I'm a bit over the doomsday predictions to be honest- the only ones dying seem to be the unvaccinated and I think it's about time to not care about those silly few anymore. Has nothing with 'privilege' but with wanting a normal life back which most of the planet seems to already have.

 

[N860CR]

The level of privilege on this thread is becoming a little much.

Have several friends in the health system who are bracing for serious levels of deaths and hospitalization as Dom lets it rip.

Plenty of lessons are being ignored from the UK when they opened at this low a level of total population also.

There are certainly a few in health pushing a panicked agenda, but as a whole most are comfortable with the measures in place.

I believe NSW had the most severe lockdown rules on the planet for our high level of vaccination.

 

[Must...Fly!]

The level of privilege on this thread is becoming a little much.

People here are a subset of the population who have a hobby or desire to travel overseas.

Perhaps in the context of the pandemic it is privileged but there are very highly skilled people currently driving buses and taxis to make ends meet because their industry has been destroyed.

I don't think they would view people looking forward to travel as a privilege, as you framed it.

Have several friends in the health system who are bracing for serious levels of deaths and hospitalization as Dom lets it rip.

If vaccination rates that will end up being amongst the very best in the world are not enough for us to open up our economy then frankly we may as well all give up.

 

[Rebus]

The level of privilege on this thread is becoming a little much.

Have several friends in the health system who are bracing for serious levels of deaths and hospitalization as Dom lets it rip.

Plenty of lessons are being ignored from the UK when they opened at this low a level of total population also.

I can't comment on the level of vaccination within the whole population when the UK opened up. However, there are some crucial differences between what they did and our plan:

• It was no longer compulsory to wear a mask indoors
• There was no capacity limit for large events
• They had not vaccinated anyone between the ages of 12 and 15, and very few 16-18yr olds

 

[Telemachus]

Yes, vaccination status wasn't a thing generally back in March.

Always a potential but post COVID travel this has entered a different realm. Every country and every transit point has its own requirements. Last trip just last week my doco was Ok for entry at destination and each transit but visa didn't match TIMATIC which I knew would be dramatic. After a call by CX to consulate at checkin I was warned of the possibility of offloading en route and there were further checks at HKG and FRA departures. after the system rejected my BP every time. There was also a check of my Vacc certificate on arrival in HKG.

IATA Travelpass might provide a better solution longer term to all the paper, but it is still in trial and you can't log in unless your airline sends you a code. And it tells you what TIMATIC does so in some cases it may be a hindrance!

Cheers skip

Sounds like a less than relaxing trip for you: an instructive reminder to us all that it's going to be quite a while before international flying returns to a more or less dependable steady state. Let us hope such systemic glitches are quickly resolved - preferably before I depart overseas in Dec.

I've downloaded IATA TP to use as the digital wallet to hold the new international vax certificate & pre-flight test results but, until the carrier sends out the TP access code for my trip, I've not been able to do anything with it. User reviews online are polarised. While it is still in trial by multiple carriers we know that QF & EK are committed to full roll-out of IATA TP.

 

[justinbrett]

The level of privilege on this thread is becoming a little much.

Have several friends in the health system who are bracing for serious levels of deaths and hospitalization as Dom lets it rip.

Plenty of lessons are being ignored from the UK when they opened at this low a level of total population also.

If you have a problem with the way the NSW is handling this, there are a couple of suitable threads where you can have that robust discussion.

This thread is about international flights resuming and is - in the most part - apolitical. Let's keep it that way.

 

[Telemachus]

Sorry I think I'm not following the distinction here, what is different between the IATA Travelpass and the "International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificate" that Australians can generate via Medicare right now? It's also an IATA format, right?

IATA TP is an app providing a platform or 'wallet' to hold your digital vax certificate and pre-flight test results, which can be shared via the app with your carrier and border agencies; the TP has other useful modules too though you don't have to use them all. There's a 1 page fact sheet and more detailed FAQ PDF on the IATA site.

 

[dairyfloss]

If you want to have a play with the app, both EK & EY have shared their invitation codes on the WWW for people to set it up. Once you're in, I'm quite sure it's airline agnostic (in fact - the code for EY & EK Android devices is the same). I've done it using the Emirates iOS code and added my [verified human] picture and AU ePassport (including RFID scan to validate the chip), but can't add my January QF INT flights or the AU international vaccination certificate, as yet. I suspect it's just too early for both of these to be there to add.

Etihad (EY) invitation code - Apple iOS: 123412
Etihad (EY) invitation code - Android: 787350

Emirates (EK) invitation code - Apple iOS: 250573
Emirates (EK) invitation code - Android: 787350

Here's a video on how to set it up:
https://inarilt.myds.me/Produccion/IATA/video/ITP/travel_passt_app_01_V7.mp4

 

[drron]

The level of privilege on this thread is becoming a little much.

Have several friends in the health system who are bracing for serious levels of deaths and hospitalization as Dom lets it rip.

Plenty of lessons are being ignored from the UK when they opened at this low a level of total population also.

The UK certainly had a dramatic rise in the number of cases opening up - about twice the number per million population as the USA.
But and a big but their rate of hospitalisations and death were roughly half the USA levels per million population.There was not a huge spike.

 

[PineappleSkip]

If you want to have a play with the app, both EK & EY have shared their invitation codes on the WWW for people to set it up. Once you're in, I'm quite sure it's airline agnostic (in fact - the code for EY & EK Android devices is the same). I've done it using the Emirates iOS code and added my [verified human] picture and AU ePassport (including RFID scan to validate the chip), but can't add my January QF INT flights or the AU international vaccination certificate, as yet. I suspect it's just too early for both of these to be there to add.

Etihad (EY) invitation code - Apple iOS: 123412
Etihad (EY) invitation code - Android: 787350

Emirates (EK) invitation code - Apple iOS: 250573
Emirates (EK) invitation code - Android: 787350

Here's a video on how to set it up:
https://inarilt.myds.me/Produccion/IATA/video/ITP/travel_passt_app_01_V7.mp4

It was unable to read the chip in my passport, a 72 pager full of visas, even when I placed the phone on top of the chip page. It has misrecorded a zero in the passport number as O. It was unable to find an SQ flight I had, possibly because it was on an LH ticket, possibly because of the passport number error. You can't scan an Australian International COVID certificate in yet. Apart from that it worked fine and dandy.

Cheers skip

 

[dairyfloss]

It was unable to read the chip in my passport, a 72 pager full of visas, even when I placed the phone on top of the chip page. It has misrecorded a zero in the passport number as O. It was unable to find an SQ flight I had, possibly because it was on an LH ticket, possibly because of the passport number error. You can't scan an Australian International COVID certificate in yet. Apart from that it worked fine and dandy.

Cheers skip

Yeah, I had trouble with the chip reading, as well... I did do it directly on the center chip page and moved / rotated the phone around a bit and eventually it started grabbing the data it needed off the chip