After weeks and months of obscurity, Qantas reopened its international ticket sales from July 1, hoping that the COVID-19 vaccines would be rolled out in the upcoming six months.
Previously, the Australian airline suspended bookings to London and the United States until October, as Sydney Morning Herald reported. However, the company has already rescheduled flights to the aforementioned destinations from July, hoping that global vaccination accelerates.
"We continue to review and update our international schedule in response to the developing COVID-19 situation," said a spokesperson for Qantas to SMH. She also confirmed that the airlines had "alligned the selling of our international services to reflect our expectation that internation travel will begin to restart from July 2021."
At the time of this writing, Qantas only opens its international flight to New Zealand, as the country's COVID-19 cases have significantly plummeted in the last couple of weeks. Los Angeles and London routes are already back on sale, while other destinations, like New York, Fiji, and Santiago, are still waiting for the green light.
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"No Jab, No Fly"
As the COVID-19 pandemic batters every corner of the world, travel leaders urge airlines to oblige vaccination as a key to reopening borders. Once the vaccine rolls out worldwide, Qantas and other airlines will likely require potential passengers to have a "vaccination passport," contained within a smartphone app.
Last November, Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said he had already expected this practice to become standard across the industry. Testing and vaccination centers will issue globally-recognized certificates, proving that the passport holder has already been vaccinated, and it will directly be recorded on their smartphone's "digital passport," IATA's Travel Pass.
IATA's Travel Pass will see a release for iOS users by the first quarter of 2021, while Android users may have to sit back and wait for a little longer.
"We want to see international travel as soon as it's safe to do so and the vaccine will be an important part of that," said Chris Bowen, the health spokesman for the opposition party in Australia. "I think Qantas deserves the bipartisan support of all involved in the efforts they take to ensure the health and safety of their passengers and, importantly, their staff."
COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Speaking of the vaccines, three potential COVID-19 jabs have raised hopes with their recent success. Several countries, like the United Kingdom and the US, have already started their massive vaccination campaign.
Broadly, vaccines are being given to the most vulnerable group first, who are thought to represent a 90-99% chance of dying from coronavirus. Residents over 80-year-olds and frontline health workers are set to be the most prioritized group, followed by 75-year-old and over, 70-year-old and over, and extremely vulnerable individuals with severe underlying health conditions.
To get the best protection, both the Pfizer and Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines require two doses. Residents can obtain the second jab at least 21 days after the initial; full immunity starts seven days after the double dose.
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