Coronavirus: Great Escape before premiers ruin Christmas

Unseemly scramble erupts for seats on last flights out of Sydney.

Travellers crowd the check-in desks at Sydney airport on Friday in a desperate race to get out of town. Picture: Getty

Desperation was in the air on ­Friday at Sydney airport as panicked holiday-makers joined The Great Escape, an unseemly scramble for seats on the last flights out of town before the next state leader decided it was time to shut up shop and spoil everyone’s Christmas.

Many of those frantic to get home to Queensland were particularly mindful of their Premier’s predilection for slamming the border with NSW shut and were determined to get out while the going was good.

There were tears of relief at Brisbane airport for Abby Ballard, 22, who has been living in Double Bay, Sydney, for the past four years, and moved her flight home forward a day to guarantee her family reunion.

Abby and her mum, Wendy McCullogh, 56, celebrated their first time seeing each other since the pandemic with a swag of ­selfies as bags started to trickle along the conveyor belt. Ms Ballard was adamant there was no way she could miss the quiet Christmas that the family of six had planned at their Sinnamon Park house in Brisbane’s southwest.

Abby Ballard is greeted by mum Wendy in Brisbane. Picture: Lyndon Mechielsen

“It’s a big relief to actually get back in time for Christmas,” Ms Ballard said.

Ms McCullogh added: “Once we heard of the cases, we said: ‘your flight has to change’.”

But there were no Sunshine State hugs for those who identified themselves as northern beaches residents — more your standard Palaszczuk welcome — as they trudged from the airport bearing warning documents stamped with the Queensland government logo and headed for a Christmas in self-isolation.

As news spread of Sydney’s northern beaches spiralling infection rate on Thursday night, the smart money was already re-booking flights.

By Friday morning, as the cluster hit 28 cases — with a 29th confirmed later in the day — most flights out of Sydney bound for Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide were booked out, even if you could ­afford a ticket that had suddenly jumped from $89 to $491.

Travel websites crashed as thousands of holiday-makers tried to bring forward bookings.

As the day wore on, more states announced bans or quarantine for anyone arriving from the northern beaches.

By lunchtime the last ticket to Adelaide had sold for $861.

As news spread of Sydney’s northern beaches spiralling infection rate on Thursday night, the smart money was already re-booking flights. Picture: NCA NewsWire/Joel Carrett

Passengers who’d hoped to get to Perth were already trying to cancel bookings as West ­Australian Premier Mark McGowan announced that arrivals from Sydney — in fact, anywhere in NSW — would get 14 days of self-quarantine for Christmas. Passengers on one flight that left Sydney for Perth on Thursday were presented with this gift in mid-air.

“Any impacted customers will be provided with options to rebook on alternative services or be able obtain a travel credit for use at a later stage,” Virgin Australia promised.

At Brisbane airport on Friday, kids in Christmas shirts hugged their grandparents, while some travellers leapt into the waiting arms of parents and partners, relieved to have set their feet on Sunshine State soil.

At the other end of the domestic terminal, Meg Fraser, 22, ­almost bowled over her mum Sam and younger sister Ellie, aged 54 and 21, after they saw each other for the first time in seven months.

“Be careful of the Sydneysider,” she exclaimed with a laugh.

Meg was meant to arrive next Wednesday, but facing a Christmas alone in her Double Bay flat, she moved her flight up.

In nothing short of a miracle, as she went to pay for her new flight, the page refreshed to alert her that she had secured the last ticket.

It was the second time this year the family had an airport reunion, after Ellie arrived home from a year living in Canada in March as the pandemic began to grip the world.

It is the first time in two years the whole family will be together for Christmas.

“It’s been a year we are trying to get kids home,” Sam said.

Meg was one of the lucky ones. She had several friends who were now stranded in Sydney having been locked out of Western Australia, who held back tears on ­Instagram as they tried to see the silver linings.

Travellers were not the only ones upset. The tourism industry branded the state travel bans a panic move that would impact the industry across the country.

“I don’t think you can put a dollar value on it at this point,” said Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry tourism chairman John Hart.

“It is the knock to confidence and to some extent the inconvenience that this causes and it may mean people will cancel ­anyway.

“Even if they’re allowed to ­travel they may not. That in itself would be incredibly damaging.”