Travelling to Australia During COVID-19 (Discussion)

[MEL_Traveller]

Maybe. But there are four daily QR or BA flights to DOH and I don't imagine they are particularly busy given Qatar is on the UK's red list (so no leisure travel, not that July in Qatar is popular anyway) and you can book them at short notice no trouble. So I doubt it. She couldn't get an answer as to why she was being bumped so I doubt we'll ever know.

Just checking the LHR departures for today it seems they are down from 4 daily QR operated flights to just two departures at 0820 and 1505. No BA flights. The forward schedule (I checked from 1 Aug) resumes the 4x daily.

 

[Flashback]

Just checking the LHR departures for today it seems they are down from 4 daily QR operated flights to just two departures at 0820 and 1505. No BA flights. The forward schedule (I checked from 1 Aug) resumes the 4x daily.

Yes, I don't think the 9am QR flight has flown for some time.

 

[mviy]

Just checking the LHR departures for today it seems they are down from 4 daily QR operated flights to just two departures at 0820 and 1505. No BA flights. The forward schedule (I checked from 1 Aug) resumes the 4x daily.

I think madrooster's guide suggests checking what has actually operated in recent days. For bookings after the cap reduction takes effect one should look to see which flights operate on some days after the cap reduction takes place and then book a fare that is unlikely to get bumped if the caps don't reduce further.

If you are overseas and not coming home imminently it would be best not to make bookings now for flying at a time after the cap reductions take effect.

 

[louie-m]

Just checking the LHR departures for today it seems they are down from 4 daily QR operated flights to just two departures at 0820 and 1505. No BA flights. The forward schedule (I checked from 1 Aug) resumes the 4x daily.

OK. I did check QR's website for this coming week before I posted that but on looking again, I see the BA flights were intra-Europe flights connecting to QR services. No reason they couldn't have utilised those to get cousin to DOH. Unless intra-Europe rules stop it in which QR hopefully wouldn't be selling tickets.

 

[PineappleSkip]

@madrooster , who knows many things, commented in the other thread that QR was going to bump ~500 passengers next week, even before any cap reduction.

 

[openseat]

Does anyone have any ideas on travel from PNG back to Australia? Someone in PNG (a volunteer for many years up there) is seeking advice to return in October/November.

 

[Flashback]

Does anyone have any ideas on travel from PNG back to Australia? Someone in PNG (a volunteer for many years up there) is seeking advice to return in October/November.

Paging @PineappleSkip or @Ric I think?

Essentially I'd say the flight back to Aus would be via a transit point.

 

[Ric]

Paging @PineappleSkip or @Ric I think?

Essentially I'd say the flight back to Aus would be via a transit point.

That was back in Feb/Mar where POM flights to (MNL >) BNE and SYD were reliable. But @madrooster would be the person to consult on this as he gave me that option plus SQ option from MNL. I took the SQ option as cases were pretty high there in POM then.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Um, in the last week I clocked up 10 years since I left POM, but...
PX3, accoring to FR24, has operated most days in June, right up to today. It regularly flies past my place
PX is offering seats online for PGK3747 in Y and PGK4347 in J around the end of October. As to whether/what will fly, who knows? Obviously the 50% cap reduction will make a difference.

Another recommendation for @madrooster

Do I miss PX? Not a lot. Turned me off Yellowtail for life.

Cheers skip

 

[mahooligan]

@madrooster - got my exemption to travel this morning (Monday) at 9 am which was submitted at 7 am last Friday. Chuffed. Thanks for all your advice!!!!

 

[gourevib]

Guys this thread has got cold. Any updates on flying upon reduction in arrivals cap? Maybe there is another thread?

 

[dajop]

Guys this thread has got cold. Any updates on flying upon reduction in arrivals cap? Maybe there is another thread?

Yes there is.

For general discussion around the reductions in arrivals cap (as opposed, I guess, to specific discussion on individual experiences in trying to get home in this thread), try here:

Australia to Reduce Incoming Int. Passenger Capacity from July 2021

Am I losing my ever loving mind or is there just a massive slap to everyones face being done over and over and over and over again. Politician in NSW Gov tests positive, bunch of close contacts including Berejiklian. Along with stories like the Canadian PM who was in their quarantine system...

www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au

 

[PineappleSkip]

Guys this thread has got cold. Any updates on flying upon reduction in arrivals cap? Maybe there is another thread?

Hopefully we’ll get some insight from @madrooster in due course, but I think that it’s way too early for updates, other than ‘all bets are off’. There is some insight in the thread @dajop mentions, but the reduced caps only start to take effect this week.

Cheers skip

 

[madrooster]

JL has cancelled 5 flights between July and August.
NH has cancelled 5 flights in July so far.
SQ has cancelled several flights in July.
AA/UA/DL have cancelled roughly every second day in July and August.

QR has offloaded the bulk of the passengers they were going to offload, until 22/07 at this stage.

Myanmar and Indonesia are now banned from transiting through SIN. Malaysia, Philippines, South Africa and UK originating passengers are currently being sent to a separate transit holding area (Indonesia/Myanmar passengers were as well before they were banned). If there's any further transit bans it's likely to come from this list of countries.

 

[dajop]

Scoot have seats into SYD from SIN sporadically over the next month, and to PER on two dates in August (with connections from a small number of other ports)

Fares have jumped in last 24-48 hrs from $1700(SYD)/$1400(PER) to $3100/$2700. This is for ScootPlus (premium economy, at best).

 

[levelnine]

SQ has cancelled several flights in July.

Have you heard/discovered anything about how SQ are allocating their limited seats?

 

[madrooster]

Have you heard/discovered anything about how SQ are allocating their limited seats?

What are you looking to know? A lot of info is commercially sensitive.

 

[kangarooflyer88]

I can confirm that availability is starting to get tight.

Out of SIN, if you fly the Sultan of Brunei's favourite airline out of SIN, you can find a decent deal though:


Quite a bit of availability in August too:



However, for those folks elsewhere, availability is very patchy at best. Out of the 'States, I'm seeing Y award availability on UA restricted only to elites, and even then the one-way pricing is eye-watering:


As before, repatriation will likely involve an exercise in human trafficking to get yourself into jurisdiction with a flight to Australia that lets you stay there whilst you await your flight

-KangarooFlyer88

 

[levelnine]

What are you looking to know? A lot of info is commercially sensitive.

Particularly interested in prospects of cancellation for a full Y ticket on one of the routes SQ has been cancelling (ie SQ225).

 

[dajop]

I can confirm that availability is starting to get tight.

Out of SIN, if you fly the Sultan of Brunei's favourite airline out of SIN, you can find a decent deal though:
View attachment 253080

Quite a bit of availability in August too:

View attachment 253081

Yeh, nah.

Brunei don't allow transits.