Quarantiners left confused as some passengers walk free despite sharing the same flight

QANTAS has defended putting travellers from the hot spot of Adelaide on a connecting flight to the Northern Territory with Brisbane passengers on Tuesday, with many left confused about quarantine rules.

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QANTAS has defended putting travellers from the hot spot of Adelaide on a connecting flight to the Northern Territory with Brisbane passengers yesterday, with many left confused about quarantine rules.

With South Australia declared an immediate hot spot on Monday, Adelaide passengers on board yesterday’s QF824 flight were sent directly to the Howard Springs quarantine facility after disembarking.

However, passengers who boarded in Brisbane, some of whom sat next to passengers from Adelaide on the four-hour flight, were free to go at their leisure upon arrival in Darwin.

Passengers from Adelaide and Brisbane on board flight QF824 were segregated once they arrived at Darwin Airport. Picture: Che Chorley

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A Qantas spokesman said state and Territory health authorities had put in place restrictions to ensure all passengers minimised risk of infection while travelling.

“All customers are reminded to be aware of the travel or quarantine restrictions in place when flying,” he said.

Despite the crossover on the plane, passengers from Brisbane and Adelaide disembarked separately once they’d arrived in Darwin, collecting their luggage from segregated areas at the same baggage carousel.

A SecureNT spokeswoman said all passengers were assessed to check if they had been in a hot spot in the past 14 days.

“There are strict processes in place at airports to stream passengers from hot spots away from other passengers,” she said.

Vanessa Farmer greets one of her three sons who were evacuated from their Adelaide boarding school. Picture: Che Chorley

However, the situation has confused mother Vanessa Farmer who greeted her three sons at Darwin Airport after they were evacuated by their boarding school Scotch College in Adelaide.

“There was no availability on the direct flight so they had to fly via Brisbane,” she said.

“Those guys have just been released off the plane out of Brisbane … it is just nonsensical.”

She will now spend the next 14 days at Howard Springs with her children.

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One passenger who entered quarantine yesterday said there was little segregation between the passengers from Adelaide and Brisbane on board the flight.

“There were about 30 of us (from Adelaide) and we’re all scattered across the plane,” she said.

“The flight (was) completely full and we got to pick seats like everyone else.

“It seems a bit silly they don’t need to quarantine too. The guy next to me is heading off to the casino tonight he reckons. Such a joke.”

Originally published as Quarantiners left confused as some passengers walk free despite sharing the same flight