Qantas has given us all a glimmer of hope for 2021 travel plans, opening ticket sales across its international flights. If all goes to plan, we could be getting out of the country as early as July 1.
The only problem that we may face in the future, is the airline placing all its hopes on the success of the COVIC-19 vaccine roll-outs.
Qantas originally had bookings to London and the United States suspended until October, but have now scheduled flights to these COVID-hotspots as early as July.
While these have been pushed forward, other destinations – such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan – that were set to resume flights in March have been pushed back to July, too. The moving launch dates come as the likelihood of establishing successful COVID-safe ‘bubbles’ between countries continues to change.
New Zealand is the only overseas destination Qantas is flying to atm, after we created a little one-way bubble for returning travellers across the Tasman..
But, again, any and all of our future international travel hopes depend on the vaccine roll-out.
And as the international COVID situation changes, so, too, will Qantas’ information. A spokesperson for Qantas said, though, that the expectation is “that international travel will begin to restart from July 2021.”
Where’s my passport? I’m outta here.
BTW, You’re Only Allowed On-Board If Your Vaccinated.
Fair enough.
Qantas boss, Alan Joyce has reiterated that vaccination is an essential for quarantine-free travel. Especially for people wanting to travel to places like the US and UK, for instance. We don’t need to be re-spreading the virus, especially one of the UK’s super mutations.
Proof of immunisation will be a condition of travel.
And even when long-haul flights restart, capacities will be significantly reduced, not even to be COVID-Safe (but you best believe that will be a consideration, too). Rather, because they put a number of their big boy Airbus A380s super-jumbos and Boeing 787 Dreamliners were sent into storage. If they’re not in storage, they’re being used for repatriation flights or freight services.
So it’s going to be a race to buy tickets.
At the moment, major routes like New York, Santiago and Fiji aren’t on sale to the network; but Los Angeles and London are.
While that sounds a little dire, the moral of the story is to hold out hope. Keep wearing your masks. Get yoru vaccinations when they become available. Because we’re this close to getting Euro Summers again!
And I think we all need a holiday.
Image Sources: Pexels (Pascal Renet)
