Qantas is Planning to Open International Travel By Christmas
Aussies will be able to travel once Qantas flights resume
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, international travel has been suspended in several countries. Just recently though, Qantas announced that it plans to resume international travel by Christmas.
Furthermore, the company also revealed that it has lost $2.35 billion last year due to the suspension of international travel. After taxes, this amount ends up around $1.7 billion.
Qantas on International Travel
Regarding this, Alan Joyce, the CEO of Qantas stated, “This loss shows the impact that a full year of closed international borders and more than 330 days of domestic travel restrictions had on the national carrier.”
The CEO of Qantas also talked about the diabolical trading conditions. He stated that it is for the government to decide when and how international travel will open again. However, Australia is on the right path as it is close to meeting the 80% trigger that the National Cabinet decided.
Along with that, the CEO also stated that it is important to make the right plans because restarting international travel could be a complex process.
Of course, Qantas will first only open the routes where the vaccination rates are higher. If everything goes right, Australian residents will be able to visit Canada, Fiji, Singapore, UK, Japan, and the US around mid-December via Qantas.
It is also expected that the New Zealand travel bubble will open again. Though, that is more dependent on the internal COVID-19 conditions of New Zealand. After all, international travel is a two-way thing and is not solely in the hands of a single airline.
By February 2022, Qantas is expecting to begin flights to Hong Kong. Along with that, flights to favorite tourism spots such as Johannesburg, Bali, Ho Chi Minh City, Jakarta, Bangkok, and Phuket will not open before April 2022.
Regarding that, Joyce stated, “There’s a lot of work that needs to happen, including training for our people and carefully bringing aircraft back into service.”
The CEO also talked about the company’s plans for IATA travel pass integration to help prove the status of vaccinations.
But that is not all. Qantas is also offering status credits and free points along with discounts for vaccinated travellers.
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