Ready, steady, fly! What you need to know as travel restarts

Australia, prepare to head to the airport. This week, we got our first documents to prove we’re vaccinated along with the all-important QR code. On Monday week, you’ll be ready to fly.

Those eligible for Medicare can download a certificate from the MyGov website or the Medicare Express app. You’ll need to have an Australian passport or visa, and your immunisation needs to be recorded in the Australian Immunisation Register.

You’ll be asked to provide your passport details before you can download the document, and you’ll receive proof of vaccination, complete with a QR code that can be scanned when you enter another country.

You’ll be able to present it either on your phone or as a printout when your passport is checked as you enter a country that requires vaccination.

The certificate will work in up to 145 countries, however, not every country requires incoming passengers to prove their vaccination status. The certificate has been designed to comply with the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

Check smartraveller.gov.au before you take off for any new rules and regulations, but the government is reassuring Australians the digital security of the system is as strong as that protecting Australians’ passport information. But it is one of the first in the world.

“This is the first set of certificates according to the standard; the Europeans have got their own and they’re rapidly moving across. So it’ll be a while before the world catches up,” explained Minister for Employment Stuart Robert.

While the Australian government believes the certificate meets international standards, do check with each country you intend to visit. Things change and requirements vary.

Meanwhile on the home front, NSW is giving residents $50 vouchers to spend on accommodation to get us all back on a break. Along with the two additional $25 Dine and Discover vouchers already announced, that’s $100 worth of incentive to book up and have some fun.

In Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has revealed her roadmap out of COVID, with the key takeaway that the state is set to be open for visitors by Christmas.

But Victoria is relaxing its COVID restrictions as their vaccination rates rise, with NSW residents welcome to travel to Melbourne from next week.

Tasmanian restrictions were beginning to ease, but the Western Australian government has said there will be no interstate travel before Christmas.

It looks as if Aussies will be jetting overseas sooner than expected, with Qantas flights to Singapore set to resume next week.

Federal Tourism Minister Dan Tehan expects a travel bubble to be established between Australia and Singapore within days. A travel bubble would allow travellers to visit each country without the requirement to quarantine. It would also signify a major step towards the resumption of international travel, with only a brief period where there was a travel bubble between Australia and close neighbour New Zealand.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said that the Australian government is still in negotiations with Singapore to commence a travel bubble.

“We are in the final stages of concluding an arrangement with the Singapore government. I was in a position, as you know, some months ago when I met with the Prime Minister of Singapore, Prime Minister Li in Singapore to set up a new arrangement which will see our borders open more quickly to Singapore,” Morrison said at a media conference held this morning at Qantas’s Hangar 97 at Sydney Airport. Morrison was joined by Qantas CEO Alan Joyce and NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet to talk about post-pandemic international travel.

He expects the travel bubble between Australia and Singapore to look very similar to the one that was established this week with New Zealand’s South Island where fully vaccinated students and business travellers would be the first to be allowed to travel, followed by tourists. 

Whilst NSW Premier Dominic Premier says tourists and students will be amongst the first travellers welcomed back into Australia, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Australians would come first.

He said, “I want to stress that, for the other states and territories and I have advised the premiers and chief ministers to this end, it is about Australian residents and citizens first.”

“The Commonwealth Government has made no decision to allow other visa holders to come to Australia under these arrangements.”

He said they were decisions for the Commonwealth Government and that when they are in a position to make that decision, they will be able to.

The establishment of the bubble however will depend on whether or not other state premiers follow NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet’s lead and scrap quarantine requirements for international travellers.

Under the national reopening plan, the requirement for vaccinated travellers to quarantine is reduced when 80 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. Currently, 83 percent of NSW residents are fully vaccinated and Victoria is expected to reach that figure in just over a week’s time.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that from 1 November, international travellers will no longer be required to quarantine when they arrive in Victoria from overseas.

From November 1, in NSW, international travellers must be fully vaccinated with an approved COVID-19 vaccine and present two negative tests – one before departure and one upon arrival. 

On Thursday, Queensland’s Chief Health Officer, Dr. Jeanette Young announced green flights from New Zealand’s South Island. As long as travellers haven’t been to Auckland where there is currently an outbreak, travellers can go directly to Queensland without the requirement to quarantine. 

Queensland Premier Anastasia Palaszczuk indicated on Monday that the international border reopening would depend on when the state reaches its 70 and 80 percent vaccine milestones; however, the Premier has hinted that travellers will still be required to quarantine until the state has a vaccination rate of 90 percent. When it reaches that figure, domestic and international travellers will no longer be required to quarantine. 

After 18 months of not being able to travel, Australians are excited at the prospects of travelling overseas again, with Expedia revealing that the top 10 search destinations following recent government announcements are:

1.     Los Angeles

2.     London

3.     Delhi

4.     Singapore

5.     Fiji

6.     Honolulu

7.     Bangkok

8.     Manila

9.     Dubai

10.  Vancouver

Expedia Director Australia, Alex Ozdowski said, “It’s a fantastic sign to see the immediate impact recent announcements have had, with expedia.com.au already seeing an increase of over 240 percent for international flights.”

Qantas has announced several international routes will resume in the coming weeks, which will be music to Australians’ ears, especially if Expedia’s searches are anything to go by.

On November 1 Qantas will fly from Sydney to London and from Sydney to Los Angeles. Many other routes will be added to the schedule including Sydney to Fiji, Sydney to Tokyo, Sydney to Bangkok, and Sydney to Singapore, plus many others from Melbourne and Brisbane.

Another airline that has announced the resumption of flights to and from Australia is Singapore Airlines, which will once again fly its A380 to Sydney from 1 December 2021.

Singapore Airlines Regional Vice President Louis Arul said that the return to Sydney marks the airline’s commitment to the Australian market.

“Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the highly challenging and financially constrained operating environment, SIA invested heavily to ensure Australia remained connected to the world,” Arul said.

“We have operated almost 4,000 passenger flights helping to bring close to 67,000 people to Australia, the vast majority being Australians wanting to return home, as well as 3,000 cargo-only flights to keep key trade channels open, allowing essential medical supplies, PPE and COVID-19 vaccines to be delivered.

“With the NSW and Australian border opening up from 1 November, the A380 will support even more Australians hoping to reconnect with loved ones ahead of the Christmas period.”

The A380 will operate from Singapore to Sydney as flight SQ231 and will depart Changi Airport at 00:45 local time and will arrive in Sydney at 11:50 local time. The return flight, SQ222 will leave Sydney at 16:10 and arrive at Singapore’s Changi Airport at 21:20.

The aircraft is fitted with 471 seats including six suites, 78 business class, 44 premium economy, and 343 economy class seats. Travellers can enjoy digital initiatives on board that will create a comfortable travel experience. 

Singapore Airlines has also introduced new health and safety measures after consulting with industry professionals. 

“As we continue to support all levels of government in planning for Australia’s reopening in a safe, sustainable and scalable way, we will remain nimble in deploying capacity to markets as demand warrants.”

Flights SQ231 and SQ222 have been loaded onto the website and tickets are currently available for sale.

The big unknown is how much fares may rise in the coming weeks and months as airlines assess the additional costs of flying and try to make up for lost revenues.

Expedia offers this advice if you’re heading off on a foreign trip:

Stay up to date with the latest travel and health advisories and check which destinations are eligible for Australians to travel to, along with what entry requirements may be needed for those destinations, including relevant documentation, pre-departure tests or what vaccine is recognised, e.g. travellers entering England must book and pay for a day-two COVID-19 test before travelling. It’s also worth checking whether there are any requirements for transit/stopover destinations and check the local situation at your destination.

Along with your passport, travellers will almost certainly be required to have proof of vaccination to enter permitted destinations or be eligible to fly. Australians and Australian-visa holders who have a valid passport and COVID-19 vaccination recorded on the Australian Immunisation Register can now obtain an International COVID-19 proof of vaccination. Be sure to also keep a hard copy in the event that access to the app isn’t possible.

Book in advance and be mentally prepared for cancellations and have a back-up plan in case you need to make changes. Many travel providers today offer flexible options to book, reschedule or cancel a trip. Before booking always make sure to read the terms and conditions to ensure eligibility for a free cancellation or change.

Consider hotels, flights and experiences that have committed to enhanced cleanliness standards. To make it easier for travellers, Expedia’s Enhanced Cleaning filter will narrow search results to options that have implemented enhanced hygiene and safety measures. In some cases, accommodation providers are only accepting vaccinated travellers.

Be aware that quarantine may be required at some destinations and, from November, will vary from state to state when returning to Australia. Before deciding to travel internationally, check the latest travel advisory for the countries you intend travelling to.