Best deals: Where Aussies can fly as international travel ban lifts
As airlines prepare to take to the skies again with the reopening of Australia’s international borders, here are the best travel deals on offer.
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The international travel ban is finally being scrapped next month, with airlines already revealing where Australians will be able to fly in November.
Double-vaccinated Australians can start planning their international trips as the nation moves towards Phase C of the reopening plan, which will kick in when 80 per cent of the population is double-vaccinated.
Here’s where Aussies will be able to travel, how much it will cost and what global travel will look like in the age of Covid-19.
WHO WILL BE ABLE TO FLY?
NSW is expected to be the first cab off the rank for international travel and passengers will be able to trial a game-changing seven-day home quarantine option.
Home quarantine trials in several states will need to be completed and proven to be sustainable.
If the trials are successful, fully vaccinated Australians and permanent residents will be able to home quarantine for a week, instead of paying thousands of dollars to quarantine at a hotel for a fortnight.
Australians who cannot be vaccinated – such as under-12s and people with medical conditions – will be treated as vaccinated.
WHERE WILL AUSSIES BE ABLE TO FLY TO INITIALLY?
Flights to the UK, the US, Japan, Singapore, Canada, and Fiji have been flagged as some of the first countries where routes will be serviced.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the government would consider quarantine-free travel between some countries, such as New Zealand, “when it is safe to do so”.
WHAT DO I NEED TO DO BEFORE TRAVELLING?
Australians who want to travel internationally will be able to access a globally recognised proof of vaccination document that will be available in the coming weeks.
Anyone hoping to get on a plane must also test negative to Covid before their flight, and have received two doses of a TGA-approved Covid vaccine.
Covid-19 testing is expected to continue to be a part of travel, but the government is looking at using rapid antigen testing as part of the arrangement.
WHICH AIRLINES WILL BE FLYING?
Qantas has brought forward its planned restart flight schedule for fully vaccinated passengers to November 14. This date is flexible and could be brought forward or delayed depending on vaccination rates, the airline said.
The national carrier will operate three weekly return flights between Sydney and London, as well as three weekly return flights between Sydney and Los Angeles, both on its Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners.
Other Qantas destinations from November will include Honolulu, Vancouver , Singapore, Tokyo and Fiji. Flights are due to depart from Melbourne. Sydney and Brisbane.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said last week that Aussies were “clearly keen to travel”.
“We saw a 175 per cent spike in web searches in the week after we announced our plans and we’ve seen strong bookings for December and January for our flights to London, Los Angeles and Singapore in particular,” he said.
Other global airlines, including Emirates, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways have bookings for all major destinations in Europe and the US from November.
WHAT IF MY FLIGHT IS CANCELLED?
Qantas customers booked on the first international flights will have the flexibility to make “fee-free” date changes for travel until December 31, 2022, though a fare difference may apply.
If flights are cancelled, customers may also be eligible for a refund or credit voucher.
Travel insurance experts are urging passengers to book directly with airlines where possible and to check the Covid-19 refund/credit rules when booking.
WHAT WILL BE THE CHEAPEST DESTINATION?
New Zealand will be the cheapest destination for travel and possibly the easiest, with the planned resumption of the Australia-NZ travel bubble once leaders deem quarantine-free travel safe.
New Zealand is planning to lift its international travel ban in February 2022. Jetstar is advertising return flights from Melbourne to Auckland starting from $329 return.
WILL FLIGHTS TO BALI RESUME SOON?
AirAsia is taking booking for flights to Australia’s favourite holiday island from June 2022. Flights to Denpasar are scheduled to depart from Perth and start a $394 return.
Indonesia recently recorded its lowest number of daily COVID-19 cases in over a year and the Indonesian government has announced plans for international plan to resume by November.
WHERE CAN I GO FOR A BEACH HOLIDAY?
Qantas is due to resume flights to Fiji from December 19 and Virgin is also panning flight to the popular holiday destination.
Virgin is advertising flights from Sydney to Nadi starting at $79 return.
WHEN WILL SINGAPORE REOPEN FOR TRAVEL?
Singapore, which has long been a popular destination and stopover for Aussie travellers, has been in talks with the Morrison government about opening a travel bubble.
Flights are set to resume from Sydney and Melbourne to the island nation from December 18, with return Jetstar flights from Tullamarine starting at $753 return.
WHAT COVID-19 PROTOCOLS WILL BE IN PLACE?
Passengers travelling internationally must follow general rules including face mask wearing, regular hand washing and the use of a hand sanitiser.
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