Travelling to Australia During COVID-19 (Discussion)

[PineappleSkip]

Now is it possible to book QR to AKL and connect to a separate AKL - OOL flight? Will that be allowed?
Also if he books the below QR route and is travelling HLO, can he just enter HQ in BNE?

So not possible. Can't book to AKL and check through to BNE only as not included as part of the cap. And even before COVID doing something like this was a big no-no with airlines.

Where are you finding flights from AKL to OOL? There aren't any green flights let alone red flights that you can transit to.

Even if you were a permanent NZ resident you would need to show a place booked in MIQ to check in to AKL. There are no MIQ places available until 2022 AFAIK. And even if you did 14 days in MIQ in AKL and got a further flight you would need to do another 14 days Quarantine in Australia.

Cheers skip

 

[somebol]

So not possible. Can't book to AKL and check through to BNE only as not included as part of the cap. And even before COVID doing something like this was a big no-no with airlines.

Where are you finding flights from AKL to OOL? There aren't any green flights let alone red flights that you can transit to.

Even if you were a permanent NZ resident you would need to show a place booked in MIQ to check in to AKL. There are no MIQ places available until 2022 AFAIK. And even if you did 14 days in MIQ in AKL and got a further flight you would need to do another 14 days Quarantine in Australia.

Cheers skip

Yeah, I misread the AKL transit thing. Of course akl - ool would be green flights and he wont be allowed to transit.

I found akl - ool flights on google flights (air nz seem to have a daily flight scheduled to bne and some times to ool)

about getting off at BNE, I agree it is a bit risky given the caps etc.

Very frustrating for him, went home for a family emergency and now he is stuck.

 

[levelnine]

There's not really any options into Australia for the next couple of months.

If your friend is desperate to get home ASAP, best option is to keep an eye out for DFAT flights out of India (register with DFAT & be ready to book within about 60 seconds of the email being sent out) or contact a travel agent (be prepared to pay up big for a last minute ticket).

Otherwise I'd be waiting until home quarantine starts in NSW. It should ease a lot of pressure on the system. Hopefully it'll happen in November/December.

 

[PineappleSkip]

Very frustrating for him, went home for a family emergency and now he is stuck.

I sympathise with him, I am on a "stuck" people FB group and there are many others in this category

be prepared to pay up big for a last minute ticket

I am a ticket hunter for a flight out of central asia myself. It became dire when the caps were halved. Since NSW cut their caps to 1/4 of what they were, things wenr from dire to impossible. I can't find flights on any carrier, in any class.

Cheers skip

 

[levelnine]

Since NSW cut their caps to 1/4 of what they were, things wenr from dire to impossible. I can't find flights on any carrier, in any class.

Yes, from Europe one ticket pops up now and again for around $15K AUD some time in October, often J into ADL with QR.

 

[Flashback]

Have you tried contacting @madrooster ?

I told some colleagues here to, they didn't, now their flights keep getting cancelled and their travel delayed by months.

 

[PineappleSkip]

I am getting some misdirected sympathy, Thanks anyway . To clarify I‘m a FIFO worker in AU seeking a visa at the other end, and have been looking periodically at flights out and flights in. Australia is not the only country with absurd rules and restrictions. @madrooster is aware and will be on the case if the visa happens. If this doesn’t work out I’ll have to try and complete the contract remotely.

The situation for many of them on the FB group is truly dire though, apart from the inbound flight cancellations for those packed up and ready to go, others are trying to leave and getting random denials. Some sample denials posted from the last couple of days

• You are moving overseas permanently to take up a new job. No exemption.
• Your parent died overseas. No exemption.
• You are moving overseas permanently and getting married there. No exemption (3rd denial).

Sometimes it’s the doco supplied not being good enough, sometimes it just seems random arbitrary decisions. The numbers of these and the inhumanity of it is a real downer. Must be especially disheartening for the rejected when others in very similar circumstances can post “yay, just got my exemption”.

cheers skip

 

[Pushka]

I am getting some misdirected sympathy, Thanks anyway . To clarify I‘m a FIFO worker in AU seeking a visa at the other end, and have been looking periodically at flights out and flights in. Australia is not the only country with absurd rules and restrictions. @madrooster is aware and will be on the case if the visa happens. If this doesn’t work out I’ll have to try and complete the contract remotely.

The situation for many of them on the FB group is truly dire though, apart from the inbound flight cancellations for those packed up and ready to go, others are trying to leave and getting random denials. Some sample denials posted from the last couple of days

• You are moving overseas permanently to take up a new job. No exemption.
• Your parent died overseas. No exemption.
• You are moving overseas permanently and getting married there. No exemption (3rd denial).

Sometimes it’s the doco supplied not being good enough, sometimes it just seems random arbitrary decisions. The numbers of these and the inhumanity of it is a real downer. Must be especially disheartening for the rejected when others in very similar circumstances can post “yay, just got my exemption”.

cheers skip

Friend of ours received an exemption first go. Going to Thailand to live with fiancee. No permanent visa as yet. Surprised me he was granted an exemption but I think come November then the exemption requirement will disappear.

 

[Mattg]

Looks like Japan Airlines has cancelled all NRT-MEL flights from November until January, and will only run HND-SYD 3x weekly over the same period.