Qantas, Jetstar domestic flights resume as travel restrictions ease

As restrictions around travel begin to ease, Qantas and Jetstar will bring back a new string of flights around the country.

Qantas and Jetstar will be increasing the amount of domestic routes from July 1.

Both airlines will see capacity increase from 5 per cent of pre-coronavirus levels, to 15 per cent by the end of June. This equates to more than 300 more return flights per week.

The airline industry has been battered throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, with the airline forced to stand down 20,000 employees workers due to travel bans and border closures.

As travel restrictions start to ease domestically, Qantas and Jetstar will increase domestic and regional flying for June and July, with more than 300 additional return flights per week by the end of June. Read more: https://t.co/iW5sNBpPtZ pic.twitter.com/DNO3HM2p57

— Qantas (@Qantas) June 4, 2020

Earlier this month, the airline announced that both Qantas and Jetstar passengers will experience a new way of flying from June 12, with both carriers implementing a string of changes amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dubbed the Fly Well program, passengers will see a number of temporary changes rolled out to keep both passengers and crew safe while in the air. The changes include optional masks on board for passengers, hand sanitising stations installed at departure gates and enhanced aircraft cleaning between flights.

Jetstar will also add new routes as restrictions ease. Picture: Darren England/AAP

There will also be changes to the way passengers check in for their flights, with the airline encouraging everyone to use contactless check-in (via online/app) and a self-serve bag drop prior to boarding.

But keeping the middle-seat free, which the airline introduced in April, will become a thing of the past under the new health and safety measures because the policy is impractical.

The announcement to allow for the middle seat to also be booked was criticised by customers, questioning why the airline was allowed to ignore social distancing measures.

Qantas Group CEO said it would be “uneconomical” to leave the middle seat vacant, and that doing so would results in skyrocketing airfares.

“To get the 4 metres squared, you’ll end up with 22 people on an aircraft of 180 seats … and the airfares are nine to 10 times as much,” he told Radio National.

“The way the cabin is set up, everyone is facing in the same direction with the seat essentially as a barrier in front of them … and the airflow is from top to bottom,” he said.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce defended the airline’s position on the middle seat ban. Picture: Lisa Maree Williams/Getty Images)

It is understood the increase on services will focus on capital city routes particularly between Melbourne and Sydney, and a number of routes to-and-from Canberra.

Qantas said an increase on intrastate flights for Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia will also commence, with a boost in weekly flights to and from Broome, Cairns and Rockhampton.

Qantas currently has five weekly return flights from Sydney to Melbourne, but that will increase to 46 flights by the end of June. From Sydney to Brisbane, which currently has four weekly flights, will be increased to 21 by the same date.

For Jetstar flights, there will be an increase from 7 return journeys to 21 between Sydney and Melbourne, while flights from Melbourne to Brisbane will increase from 3 flights to 5.