Travelling to Australia During COVID-19 (Discussion)

68 Y passengers are continuing to AKL. 79 Y passengers getting off in BNE. 147 total passengers in Y.

7 J passengers are continuing to AKL. 19 J passengers getting off in BNE. 26 total passengers in J.
A bit less than the seat map was showing me, but presumably some dropped off. So just short of 100 getting off in BNE, still well over the claimed per flight cap. That's consistent with the numbers that came off the plane.
 
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A bit less than the seat map was showing me, but presumably some dropped off. So just short of 100 getting off in BNE, still well over the claimed per flight cap.

Was told about 2 hours from arrival to bus, which is about on the money. Police escort to Rydges Valley right on midnight.

QR flights into BNE on average take about 80-100. QR is only 3x weekly into BNE hence the higher cap per flight - they account for maybe up to 250-300 of the 1000 cap per week. Even EK is only 2x weekly.
 
QR flights into BNE on average take about 80-100. QR is only 3x weekly into BNE hence the higher cap per flight - they account for maybe up to 250-300 of the 1000 cap per week. Even EK is only 2x weekly.
Any thoughts on QR into Adelaide? I'd heard it's less likely to be an issue unless Adelaide shuts down.
 
I’ve heard the US carriers are much more reliable in terms of ‘not being bumped’ because they aren’t taking many hub passengers (as compared for what ME3)
 
I’ve heard the US carriers are much more reliable in terms of ‘not being bumped’ because they aren’t taking many hub passengers (as compared for what ME3)

To be pedantic, I’d expect they’d be taking quite a few hub passengers, just not many originating in other countries (ie. no immigration type risks involved when originating in say ORD and transiting LAX.)
 
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I’ve heard the US carriers are much more reliable in terms of ‘not being bumped’ because they aren’t taking many hub passengers (as compared for what ME3)

That's incorrect. It's because you cannot transit the US from Europe unless you are a US citizen. The only pax coming in via US carriers are from Canada, US, Central America and South America which is a smaller pool of pax.
 
Any thoughts on QR into Adelaide? I'd heard it's less likely to be an issue unless Adelaide shuts down.

The primary issue with QR is them booking well beyond caps. Even mid April, they are still booking beyond caps.
 
That's incorrect. It's because you cannot transit the US from Europe unless you are a US citizen. The only pax coming in via US carriers are from Canada, US, Central America and South America which is a smaller pool of pax.

So they aren’t bumping as many people :)
 
A bit more detail about the process I was subjected to getting into BNE.
Obviously it would vary, particularly by state.You need your PCR COVID test and your Federal inbound travel declaration to checkin, but I wasn't asked for either on arrival. The important piece of extra doco seems to be anything your state requires, which varies.

QR landed 22:12, about 40 minutes late. Bit of a taxi to the gate from the new runway, and about a 10 minute delay on the aircraft while they got the gate into position and played a narky announcement about quaro.
Off the aircraft...
1. temperature check and ask for symptoms. Different process no doubt if you have any.
2. Qld Health QR code scanner, I waved a printout and got to bypass this, which got me front of queue.
3. duty free - gone. Buy before you fly!
4. immigration desk before baggage claim where the e-gares (gone) used to be. Temporary counters: put your passport through a slot in the plexiglass. Usual arrivals card.
5. baggage off carousel as usual.
6. AQIS as usual.
7. exit left to Quarantine Registration desk at end of terminal, not straight ahead the old way. Manned by QPS. Here you provide passport and your Qld entry QR code, and you are given your direction to Quarantine and told your hotel. It's formally read out to you and they email it to you. This is when the clock starts for your 14 days of lawful custody. (IIRC the timing of release varies by state). You also get a form to complete for hotel reception.
8. Qld Health desk. They checked my name off a list, and I got some more leaflets here, but that's all. There might be a process here for people with special needs.
9. Waiting areas for buses. QPS assign you to an area that matches your Quaro hotel, or possibly to your bus. BTW, the Police were great, friendly and sympathetic all the way.
10. Called to bus, bags are loaded by ADF, then one to a seat pair if you are on your own.
I was among the first through, onto the first bus and it was just under an hour from touchdown to direction time, and about another hour from direction to bus departure.
11. Bus with QPS escort to hotel. In my case Rydges in the Valley. Possibly not the shortest of short straws but definitely not the longest!
12. Not your regular hotel checkin. Bus arrives, ADF unload and guard bags. Pass the completed checkin forms to QPS (who are everywhere) at front of bus. They call out names and people exit one by one, room key given on way out, collect bags and proceed to lift queue, which is kept short.
13. Ride the lift, signposted 'red zone', to your floor, where you are escorted by QPS who open your room. The room key goes in the usual slot for power, it doesn't open your door. It doesn't need to!
14... days of four small walls. If you're on your own, suspect you're pretty well guaranteed a basic room.
The lift was the slow point, one red zone lift, one PAX each time (two if together), and hotel checkin was the slowest process. I was the last called off the first bus, about 45 minutes after arrival at the hotel. There were four buses.

cheers skip
 
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Thanks for the detailed info PineappleSkip. Anyone with a detailed info on arrival at SYD?
 
Thanks for the detailed info PineappleSkip. Anyone with a detailed info on arrival at SYD?

In short summary:

1. Health screening and immigration
2. Split up into rows and seated, collect bags a few people at a time
3. Sorted onto buses
4. Arrival at hotel, checked in by NSW Police
5. Escorted to your room

The whole process can take about 1.5-2 hours. There can be on average 1-2 buses per flight.
 
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A bit more detail about the process I was subjected to getting into BNE.
Obviously it would vary, particularly by state.You need your PCR COVID test and your Federal inbound travel declaration to checkin, but I wasn't asked for either on arrival. The important piece of extra doco seems to be anything your state requires, which varies.

QR landed 22:12, about 40 minutes late. Bit of a taxi to the gate from the new runway, and about a 10 minute delay on the aircraft while they got the gate into position and played a narky announcement about quaro.
Off the aircraft...
1. temperature check and ask for symptoms. Different process no doubt if you have any.
2. Qld Health QR code scanner, I waved a printout and got to bypass this, which got me front of queue.
3. duty free - gone. Buy before you fly!
4. immigration desk before baggage claim. usual arrivals card. Temporary counters before baggage. e-gates are gone.
5. baggage off carousel as usual
6. AQIS as usual.
7. exit left to Quarantine Registration desk at end of terminal, not straight ahead the old way. Manned by QPS. Here you provide passport and your Qld entry QR code, and you are given your direction to Quarantine and told your hotel. It's formally read out to you and they email it to you. This is when the clock starts for your 14 days of lawful custody. (IIRC the timing of release varies by state). You also get a form to complete for hotel reception.
8. Qld Health desk. Got some more leaflets here, but that's all. There might be a process here for people with special needs.
9. Waiting areas for buses. QPS assign you to an area that matches your Quaro hotel, or possibly to your bus. BTW, the Police were great, friendly and sympathetic all the way.
10. Called to bus, bags are loaded by ADF, then one to a seat pair if you are on your own.
I was among the first through, onto the first bus and it was just under an hour from touchdown to direction time, and about another hour from direction to bus departure.
11. Bus with QPS escort to hotel. In my case Rydges in the Valley. Possibly not the shortest of short straws but definitely not the longest!
12. Not your regular hotel checkin. Bus arrives, ADF unload and guard bags. Pass the completed checkin forms to QPS (who are everywhere) at front of bus. They call out names and people exit one by one, room key given on way out, collect bags and proceed to lift queue, which is kept short.
13. Ride the lift, signposted 'red zone', to your floor, where you are escorted by QPS who open your room. The room key goes in the usual slot for power, it doesn't open your door. It doesn't need to!
14... days of four small walls. If you're on your own, suspect you're pretty well guaranteed a basic room.
The lift was the slow point, one red zone lift, one PAX each time (two if together), and hotel checkin was the slowest process. I was the last called off the first bus, about 45 minutes after arrival at the hotel. There were four buses.

cheers skip

I would hope they are prioritising people with young children, the frail etc?
 
I'm sure they would be; I was asked multiple times if I had any special needs and meeting needs appeared to be the job of the Qld Health counter; I forgot to mention they had a list of passengers and checked me off their list. If you were frail you might be redirected at the symptom checking point. Everyone on my bus to Rydges was a solo traveller, and as such I have a basic small room. I'd hope couples and those with children would be allocated bigger rooms at the least. There was a family with children in one of the J Quads on my flight, and I'd hope they got sent to the Quest or the Mantra.

Shoutout to lamahire bike rental, who rented me an exercise bike, for this list of BNE quaro hotels, ordered as my preference list. I put the airport Novotel last because of the fogged up windows, which would make it as isolated as could be. The bonus for me is the nice view over the RNA grounds.
Quest Chermside,
Mantra on Edward,
Westin Brisbane,
Marriott Brisbane,
Pullman BNE Airport,
Novotel Brisbane,
Mercure North Quay,
Four Points Brisbane,
Rydges Fortitude Valley,
Rydges Southbank,
Novotel BNE Airport
Grand Chancellor (not any more!).

cheers skip
 
I'm sure they would be; I was asked multiple times if I had any special needs and meeting needs appeared to be the job of the Qld Health counter; I forgot to mention they had a list of passengers and checked me off their list. If you were frail you might be redirected at the symptom checking point. Everyone on my bus to Rydges was a solo traveller, and as such I have a basic small room. I'd hope couples and those with children would be allocated bigger rooms at the least. There was a family with children in one of the J Quads on my flight, and I'd hope they got sent to the Quest or the Mantra.

Shoutout to lamahire bike rental, who rented me an exercise bike, for this list of BNE quaro hotels, ordered as my preference list. I put the airport Novotel last because of the fogged up windows, which would make it as isolated as could be. The bonus for me is the nice view over the RNA grounds.
Quest Chermside,
Mantra on Edward,
Westin Brisbane,
Marriott Brisbane,
Pullman BNE Airport,
Novotel Brisbane,
Mercure North Quay,
Four Points Brisbane,
Rydges Fortitude Valley,
Rydges Southbank,
Novotel BNE Airport
Grand Chancellor (not any more!).

cheers skip
So is that the list? If you don’t mind I’ll copy and paste on to the list of current quarantine. Some people keep an eye on that.
 
I did hear of someone arriving back in BNE this week and being transferred to Gold Coast, and in a room with balcony and ocean views. Now that's definitely not drawing the short straw!
Someone special? 🤫
 
Qld does send some pax down to the Gold Coast for quarantine. I think it was Sofitel Broadbeach at one point and it may still be.
 
So is that the list? If you don’t mind I’ll copy and paste on to the list of current quarantine. Some people keep an eye on that.
Surely. Not sure it's complete or up to date - the Grand Chancellor was bumped a while back.

There is an authoritative list somewhere?
 
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