Visas & Immigration

Visas & Immigration is a popular topic at the Australian Frequent Flyer. When travelling overseas, you certainly need to have a good understanding of immigration procedures, including getting the required visas to the countries you are planning on visiting.

Now Would Be a Great Time for a Qantas Status Match

Podcast #51: Domestic Borders Are Reopening

After a year like none other, there’s finally some good news. Almost all Australian state & territory borders are now open again, and the final remaining border (from SA to WA) could be open by Christmas. As a result, more Australians are travelling and airlines are scrambling to send more flights back in the air. … Continued

Light at the end of the tunnel

Finally, Some Good News in 2020

After the “year from hell” which saw a pandemic shut down the travel industry and cause unspeakable suffering around the world, there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel. There are currently many COVID-19 vaccine trials ongoing, and numerous of these are in their final stages. There’s still no 100% guarantee of a … Continued

Auckland, New Zealand

Qantas Resumes Limited Trans-Tasman Flights

Qantas will today operate its first international passenger flights since June, with a return service from Sydney to Auckland. It comes as NSW, NT and ACT today reopen their borders to travellers from New Zealand, who no longer need to quarantine in a hotel when arriving in Australia through Sydney. But Qantas has delayed plans … Continued

16 Oct 2020 Qantas
Australia Takes First Step Towards Trans-Tasman Bubble

Australia Takes First Step Towards Trans-Tasman Bubble

Australia has taken the first step towards establishing a long-anticipated “trans-Tasman bubble” between Australia and New Zealand. But, at this stage, it’s only a one-way bubble and New Zealanders can only travel to selected states & territories in Australia without needing to quarantine. From Friday 16 October 2020, it will be possible to travel from … Continued

What to Expect in Australian Hotel Quarantine

What to Expect in Australian Hotel Quarantine

If you’re returning to Australia from overseas – or travelling interstate from a designated COVID-19 hotspot – there’s a good chance you’ll end up in hotel quarantine. Since 29 March 2020, anyone arriving in Australia is required to undergo 14 days of managed isolation in a hotel room. This needs to be completed in government-designated … Continued

How to Get an Exemption to Leave Australia

When Should Australia Lift its Outbound Travel Ban?

On 25 March 2020, the Australian government banned citizens and temporary residents from leaving the country without a special exemption. This extraordinary temporary measure was introduced amid growing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, the Australian outbound travel ban was widely viewed as reasonable. It’s now the end of August. Not only is … Continued

International Arrival Caps Locking Out Australians

International Arrival Caps Locking Out Australians

Thousands of stranded Australians are unable to return home due to restrictive caps on arriving international passenger numbers. Since July, the number of daily and weekly inbound passenger arrivals have been limited at all five of Australia’s major international airports. A maximum of 525 international travellers are permitted to arrive in Perth each week, with … Continued

Australian International Flights Down 98% in April 2020

Qantas International Flights Unlikely to Restart Before July 2021

Qantas today revealed that it does not expect international flights to resume until at least July 2021. The grim outlook came as Qantas announced a $2.7 billion statutory loss before tax for the 2019-20 financial year. In today’s announcement, the national carrier said that its international network was “unlikely to restart before July 2021; possibly … Continued

20 Aug 2020 Qantas