I had two flights with QF earlier this month without any issues (they actually took off on time, how about that?!): SYD > ADL on a 737 and MEL > SYD on an A330. In travelling this month and last month I could certainly notice a decline in load compared to when I say travelling pre-Omicron (e.g. November). No cancellations to report on upcoming QF tickets yet albeit my next flight with them is in June to LDH (there have been schedule changes but I reckon that's to be expected for such a destination). Ditto with JQ, no cancellations to report either.
QF and to some extent JQ really needs to roll out the red carpet to get flyers back in the mood. Aside from WA, we haven't seen anything less favourable take place domestically in terms of borders. Indeed, the restrictions and requirements are rapidly falling as we speak: a couple of weeks ago you would need to apply for a border pass and get a PCR test to fly into ADL or BNE, now that's no longer the test. Even internationally, we're seeing the restrictions drop: no more ineffective and expensive PCR tests when returning to Australia, just the cheap and accessible rapid antigen tests.
The real question is what will it take to get people back on flights? Some might say cheap fares on the airlines, but they've tried that trick and it hasn't moved the needle much. Indeed, most the flights I've got booked so far are on JQ with Max fares during their ongoing 50% off promotion. And despite the deep cuts, we just aren't seeing cabins filled. I think part of it is there isn't enough awareness amongst Australians that it's fine to travel now. How do you deprogram a population that has been told for the better part of a year to stay at home (especially those in Victoria)? There needs to be advertisements and announcements by government to make it clear that you're more than welcome to travel throughout Australia. People need to be aware that restrictions have largely eased, and the government needs to continue subsidizing travel (e.g. flights, hotels) to bring that appetite back to travel contingent on there being low demand.
-RooFlyer88