Border openings are still up in the air, but you could be too.
Bar a select few who have been able to jet-set in and out of the country, the majority of Australians have been grounded here for the long haul. With all the announcements, updates and revised plans for reopening, it’s been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. Well, as we inch closer as a nation to our vaccination targets, the plans for reopening are becoming more of a reality.
So much so that Qantas has already begun advertising flights out of here. International flights have been scheduled from mid-December and the airline’s online booking platform is now accepting bookings for flights to London on December 18 as well as Singapore and Vancouver from Sydney and Melbourne.
Then on December 19, flights have been scheduled for trips to Los Angeles, Tokyo, Hawaii and Fiji. The latter recently announcing that they were planning to open up to international visitors from as early as November 1 when ”the government expects to have fully vaccinated at least 80 per cent of its eligible population.” There are also flights departing from Brisbane.
Qantas, however, is not the only airline already scheduling flights to get us out of the country. Hawaiian Airlines have also announced that they are scheduling flights from mid-December with flights from Sydney and Brisbane. These are also available to be booked on their website now.
While the airlines can’t just begin operations from one day to the next and need to plan ahead, the decision to reopen our international borders rests firmly on the Australian government.
“It’s obviously up to government exactly how and when our international borders re-open, but with Australia on track to meet the 80 per cent trigger agreed by National Cabinet by the end of the year, we need to plan ahead for what is a complex restart process,” Mr Joyce said.
Even still, we’re buoyed by the optimism shown because we could sure go for a trip overseas after 18 months. The take-up of Qantas’ free flights and discounts among other special offers to fully-vaccinated Australians, as well as the response to the ad that made us all cry, shows that we’re not the only ones keen on flying abroad. And remember, you’ll need to be vaccinated to fly.
To take a look at Qantas flights, check their website and take a look at Hawaiian Airlines as well.