Qantas revolution, on board only if vaccinated: here's when

Qantas, Australia's largest air carrier, will be one of the first companies to place an outright ban on international travel. All passengers will have to be vaccinated against Covid-19 in order to get on board. It will no longer suffice, therefore, to take a swab attesting to one's negativity. A full course, or 2 doses, will be required, unless the inoculation was with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one. Either way, the last dose will need to have been received for at least 14 days, so as to ensure full coverage against the virus.

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The Qantas project

Alan Joyce, chief executive of the company, announced this sharp turnaround in the operations of Qantas during an interview with the Trans-Tasman Business Circle: "Qantas will have a policy that will allow only vaccinated passengers to board. We are doing this because we believe this is one of the key requirements to show the public that we operate safe flights."

A radical choice, which at the same time meets the obligations imposed by a variety of countries. Joyce referred to this aspect as well. The reality is somewhat different, however, considering how these countries allow arrival with only the negative swab, requiring a mandatory quarantine period thereafter. In this way, however, Qantas absolutely prevents boarding. This is no small breakthrough, which the company hopes to implement by December 2021.

The return of international flights

In every part of the world, people are yearning for a return to normalcy, not least so that they can once again make international flights freely according to their needs and desires. Qantas pointed out that searches for this type of travel tripled after the announcement that it would resume travel International with the most desired destinations:

• London
• Los Angeles
• Singapore
• Tokyo

The carrier's plan is to be able to restart this giant and crucial slice of its package by Christmas 2021: "I think people want to reconnect, they want to reconnect with family members and get back to business. There are a lot of very important reasons for us to restart, once we reach the targets set in the vaccination plan."

Australia is expected to give permission for international flights to resume after vaccinating 80% of the population. A figure still particularly distant. In fact, to date, less than 40% of residents and vaccine-age citizens have received a full course. This stage is crucial, considering how the recent increase in cases has prompted the government to speed up the process. A new target has been set: Vaccinate 70% of the population by October. If this happens, it would not be unrealistic to expect to hit 80% by December.

Qantas is also trying to help in this regard, pushing its own frequent flyers to receive both doses. Those who can prove they have received a full cycle will be able to choose from 1,000 frequent flyers points, 15 status credits or a $20 discount voucher that can also be used with Jetstar.

Those who cannot vaccinate

The policy that Qantas intends to implement is clearer than ever. However, borderline cases must be taken into account. What will happen to possible passengers who cannot receive the vaccine because of prior medical conditions that conflict with the serum? A spokeswoman for the carrier explained how they will be allowed to board. At the moment, however, the section of the policy regarding children, i.e., passengers too young for inoculation, has not yet been finalized.

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