Predictions of when international flights may resume/bans lifted

[OATEK]

Currently in WA hotel quarantine is also under WA's Emergency Management Act 2005

All international and some domestic travellers to Western Australia issued a Centre Quarantine Direction under the Emergency Management Act 2005 will need to quarantine in a hotel for 14 days following arrival. The quarantine period means you must stay in your designated hotel room even if you are feeling well. When you are in quarantine you are not permitted to have any visitors, even if they are another traveller also in quarantine.

COVID-19 coronavirus: Paying for hotel quarantine in WA frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about paying for hotel quarantine in WA

www.wa.gov.au

Part of the reason I want to book to UK is to get on the one flight a day that will not go via PER. Flying SYD xDRW or xSIN to LHR and return same way should ensure I return to the sanest state (in terms of quarantine).

 

[JB expat]

Sometimes you just need to ask yourself the bigger questions, like, how does international covid impact us when we have local covid anyway ..
or ..
how do you secure a Grand Final takes place in your state?
what rules?

View attachment 256889

That is seriously just disgusting - if they did this based on vaccine status and covid testing, that is an option that should be available to all.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

On the WA-80% tussle, if the Federal Government refused to put on a cap, it could mean WA hotel quarantine is inundated - then what??? Risk-assessment for home quarantine, allow onward travel (ie not allowed to leave airport) domestically to another location......wonder what else might be an option/required.

 

[Must...Fly!]

On the WA-80% tussle, if the Federal Government refused to put on a cap, it could mean WA hotel quarantine is inundated - then what??? Risk-assessment for home quarantine, allow onward travel (ie not allowed to leave airport) domestically to another location......wonder what else might be an option/required.

There would be nothing stopping the federal government allowing an uncapped number of people on flights and admit them through the border, and the WA government setting up check points at the airport boundary. Well nothing apart from sanity of course. Or the courts getting involved which is probably what would happen.

 

[antycbr]

There would be nothing stopping the federal government allowing an uncapped number of people on flights and admit them through the border, and the WA government setting up check points at the airport boundary. Well nothing apart from sanity of course. Or the courts getting involved which is probably what would happen.

Yes there would be at least one constitutional lawyer on SQ223 from Singapore with a copy of s.92 in their carry on.

Central to last year's decision was that there was no alternative to the lockdown. Vaccination removes that argument.

 

[HappyFlyerFamily]

Part of the reason I want to book to UK is to get on the one flight a day that will not go via PER. Flying SYD xDRW or xSIN to LHR and return same way should ensure I return to the sanest state (in terms of quarantine).

I think QF will soon go Darwin to Heathrow non-stop. WA authorities showing no signs of giving up.

On the current flight options, Singapore seems the best bet to me.

Post automatically merged: Aug 31, 2021

There would be nothing stopping the federal government allowing an uncapped number of people on flights and admit them through the border, and the WA government setting up check points at the airport boundary. Well nothing apart from sanity of course. Or the courts getting involved which is probably what would happen.

Courts would probably have no say - both authorities are acting within their constitutional/legislative limits.

 

[drron]

I am tempted to pull the trigger on a QF booking to the UK for March 22. I don't see them having more than 1 flight a day unless demand really takes off, and want to have 2 seats in the bag.

Go for it.We are booked to leave in mid Feb.

 

[mviy]

Reports today of groundswell of public opinion (58%) that that lockdowns etc should continue until 12-15s have been vaccinated. Hard to disagree with this, but it is a moving of the goal posts as to when lockdowns and restrictions will lift.

It's very easy to disagree with it. Hardly any people that age die with COVID and those that do are almost always those with life shortening medical problems such as a terminal illness. Kids 15 and under can be barred from travelling overseas until they are vaccinated (we could give kids needing to travel overseas priority access to a vaccine once the 80% target is reached for adults) and home quarantine requirements for those returning from overseas should provide adequate protection for kids in the community along with sensible precautions that their parents take.

If we shift the goalposts for vaccinating kids it's a slippery slope to "oh we can't open up because newborns can't get vaccinated till they are 6 months old", or "we can't open up because it's been so long now that we need to do booster shots" etc. There's never going to be a perfect point to draw a line, but we have to do it somewhere. I personally think we should be opening up to allow fully vaccinated people to travel overseas and return and do home quarantine much sooner than the existing 80% fully vaccinated for 16+ target, but it is what it is.

 

[mviy]

Extra 500,000 Pfizer doses on the way from Singapore in vaccine swap

This is great news and outside of the box thinking. Ensures the world/SIN doesn’t waste Pfizer vaccines, gets shots in arms faster in Australia and we send SIN some back after we have adequate supplies AND have passed 80%.

This has potential to move dates forward for 70 & 80% rates.

This is good for both economies too. SIN as a transit hub depends heavily on travel to/from places like Australia so it's in our mutual interests to get Australia open to SIN as soon as possible.

 

[Pushka]

It's very easy to disagree with it. Hardly any people that age die with COVID and those that do are almost always those with life shortening medical problems such as a terminal illness. Kids 15 and under can be barred from travelling overseas until they are vaccinated (we could give kids needing to travel overseas priority access to a vaccine once the 80% target is reached for adults) and home quarantine requirements for those returning from overseas should provide adequate protection for kids in the community along with sensible precautions that their parents take.

If we shift the goalposts for vaccinating kids it's a slippery slope to "oh we can't open up because newborns can't get vaccinated till they are 6 months old", or "we can't open up because it's been so long now that we need to do booster shots" etc. There's never going to be a perfect point to draw a line, but we have to do it somewhere. I personally think we should be opening up to allow fully vaccinated people to travel overseas and return and do home quarantine much sooner than the existing 80% fully vaccinated for 16+ target, but it is what it is.

Morrison said some time ago that people under 16 were not to be included in the 80% mark.

 

[mviy]

Wouldn't that mean full planes in both directions - meaning, the clearing of the backlog in terms of inbound flights would result in more outbound flights to meet the pent up demand for outbound travel? seems to be symmetry here.

The thing is most people departing will want to come back. We have many many plane loads of people overseas already wanting to come back so it would make sense to give them a week or two to come back before opening the flood gates to let others depart. This would give them an opportunity to get back hopefully with somewhat reasonably priced economy fares compared to what it costs to come back at the moment.

Post automatically merged: Aug 31, 2021

Morrison said some time ago that people under 16 were not to be included in the 80% mark.

And he can back this up with stating this is the health advice he has received and is confirmed by the independent Doherty Institute modelling.

 

[Rebus]

I am tempted to pull the trigger on a QF booking to the UK for March 22. I don't see them having more than 1 flight a day unless demand really takes off, and want to have 2 seats in the bag.

I have fallen for the Alan Joyce marketing push of last week and pulled the trigger on a booking from MEL to the UK for June 22. Worst case I can cancel or push the booking back a few months. One of the reasons for booking now was to get on a service which transits in Australia or another 'low-risk' country: PER/DRW on the way out and SIN on the return leg. Another, less rational, reason to book early is to feel like I've done something positive as my Dad hasn't seen his Aussie grandkids for almost 3 years.

 

[Jeffstrongman]

I pulled the trigger last week. Booked Qantas rewards Syd-Man on Cathay Pacific for July 2022. But worried what the status of Hong Kong will be. Also me and Mrs only temporary visa holders so hoping that Australian rules apply to people allowed to live in Australia. (Surely cannot treat us differently forever) Plan is to bring my parents back on the return trip BA via Singapore (finally use the avios points) both double vaccinated and likely booster jabs in September. Home quarantine not an issue if it applies to family’tourists’ by then.

 

[mviy]

Another thing is that if outbound travel is allowed come December, with the home quarantine requirement those who have sufficient leave will likely want to be away for longer than normal, so say they come back in January or February to do home quarantine by then everyone 12-15 should have had an opportunity to have at least one dose of the vaccine if not both. The risk to 12-15 year olds in opening up before they are vaccinated is minimal.

 

[Batterytraveller]

Reports today of groundswell of public opinion (58%) that that lockdowns etc should continue until 12-15s have been vaccinated. Hard to disagree with this, but it is a moving of the goal posts as to when lockdowns and restrictions will lift.

I have to say I’m not opposed to including 12-15 in the target, jabs start in 2 weeks and we will have lots of vaccine in September and October and on. 2 reasons

1) if that’s what it takes to get everyone on board then it seems a more achievable target than 90% of 16+
2) if we miss 80% by a little after including 12-15 year olds it gives some wiggle room, we can say we didn’t get to 80% of 16+ or 12 + but we did more jabs than we planned when Doherty was published.

 

[Pom-DownUnder]

I have to say I’m not opposed to including 12-15 in the target, jabs start in 2 weeks and we will have lots of vaccine in September and October and on. 2 reasons

1) if that’s what it takes to get everyone on board then it seems a more achievable target than 90% of 16+
2) if we miss 80% by a little after including 12-15 year olds it gives some wiggle room, we can say we didn’t get to 80% of 16+ or 12 + but we did more jabs than we planned when Doherty was published.

Disagree personally, goal posts have been moved a thousand times already and that age group is incredibly low risk of major complications from covid. i'm comfortable enough with just under 33 million vaccinations, why not 90% why not 95%, why not over 10s, why not over 8s.

Nah. 80% 16+ = Let me see my family.

Thanks.

 

[mviy]

I'm opposed to shifting the goal posts because of the slippery slope argument. It's likely even younger age groups will be approved for the vaccine later this year and there will be calls to wait for them to get vaccinated as well.

They can always change the goal posts to get us open sooner closer to the time if adding 12-15 year olds to the targets will help achieve the targets sooner.

Even without targets there will be a significant number of first doses for 12-15 before we open up. Those returning and doing hotel quarantine (from high risk countries) or home quarantine from lower risk countries pose minimal risk to the community if they are fully vaccinated and tested negative prior to their flight home.

Most departing will want to be away for at least a month if not longer if they can get the leave (a considerable amount of people will have been hoarding as much leave as they can for this if they aren't retired) which will provide time for more vaccinations of kids before their return to home quarantine.

We have to start accepting some risk again and let adults take personal responsibility to look after their own health and let adults take reasonable precautions to protect the health of their kids as they see fit.

 

[N860CR]

It’s certainly a step in the right direction. I can’t fully see the need for any quarantine upon return to Australia (especially NSW). Now that NSW has shown the way and taken the correct approach to Covid, daily positive test results (should we keep doing them at the same volume) will simply keep climbing to match that of the rest of the world. If you’re fully vaccinated, NSW is open and we’re all sharing our Corona around at work, why does someone coming back from London (which is in the same position) need to quarantine?

 

[Must...Fly!]

All this talk about sensible quarantine measures, maybe reading this thread on Twitter will really get you thinking...

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1432492136000200706

 

[Seat0B]

The thing is most people departing will want to come back. We have many many plane loads of people overseas already wanting to come back so it would make sense to give them a week or two to come back before opening the flood gates to let others depart. This would give them an opportunity to get back hopefully with somewhat reasonably priced economy fares compared to what it costs to come back at the moment.

I think a major reason that flights are currently not reasonably priced is because of the artificial caps that severely limit the number of paying pax per flight. Once the airlines can run with a full load, I would expect prices to become more reasonable.