Here you can read articles about the Coronavirus (COVID-19) and the impact it's having on travel.
As Chinese airlines restore capacity to Australia, this should bring down airfares and increase award availability - and not just to China.
If you’ve tried booking an international flight recently, you’ve probably noticed that flights to and from Australia are expensive right now. Award flight availability is also particularly limited at the moment. There are clearly a few factors at play which have combined to create a perfect storm of poor availability and high airfares. For example, … Continued
The wait for Japan to reopen its border to independent tourists is almost over with the country set to remove its strict COVID-19 entry restrictions on 11 October 2022, Japanese media is reporting. From 11 October, the daily international arrival cap and visa requirements for overseas tourists will be lifted. The requirement for tourists entering … Continued
The New Zealand government no longer requires international arrivals to prove their vaccination status or complete COVID-19 tests after arriving in the country. It comes as the nation also significantly relaxes its remaining domestic COVID-19 restrictions. Until yesterday, international passengers arriving in New Zealand were given two rapid antigen tests on arrival and required to … Continued
The Australian government has today lifted the requirement to wear face masks on domestic flights, as well as on international flights bound for Australia. It ends the mask mandate for air passengers that was first introduced by the Australian government in January 2021. Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia and Rex have all removed their requirement to … Continued
The Australian government will scrap the requirement for anyone flying to Australia to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration from 6 July 2022. From the same date, all remaining international COVID-19 border restrictions will also be removed. This includes the requirement for visitors to Australia to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Most Australian state & territories have … Continued
Most Australian states and territories have now removed all interstate and international travel requirements, including for unvaccinated travellers. WA was the last to do so, removing the requirement to apply for a G2G Pass to travel to WA on 29 April 2022. Australian states & territories are also now allowing quarantine-free travel from overseas for … Continued
If you’re looking for a safe destination to enjoy your next overseas holiday, look no further than Fiji – according to the Australian government. Over recent weeks and months, the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade (DFAT) has been updating the travel advice for many of the countries listed on its Smartraveller website. The first … Continued
Australia no longer requires international arrivals to get a pre-departure COVID-19 test. But many other countries still have their own travel requirements which may including COVID-19 testing, even if you are just in international transit. To make matters even more complicated, a few countries still aren’t allowing international transits at all. International travel in June … Continued
The requirement to wear a face mask inside most Australian airports will come to an end this weekend, after the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) recommended “that it is no longer proportionate to mandate mask use in airport terminals”. It’s now up to individual states & territories to decide whether to follow this recommendation … Continued
Qantas Frequent Flyer has extended its offer of fee-free changes and cancellations on Classic Flight Reward bookings for at least another three months. Previously only applicable to bookings made with Qantas points until 30 June 2022, Qantas’ Flexible Classic Rewards policy now applies to domestic and international bookings made up to 30 September 2022. When … Continued
Since February 2022, the Australian government requires all passengers arriving in Australia on an international flight to complete a Digital Passenger Declaration (DPD) within 7 days before departure. This can be done online or on the “Australia DPD” smartphone app. In theory, this system is supposed to save travellers time by allowing them to submit … Continued