Travel Health

Travel Health is a popular topic at the Australian Frequent Flyer. Here we provide tips, tricks and chat about travel health issues.

Light at the end of the tunnel

Finally, Some Good News in 2020

After the “year from hell” which saw a pandemic shut down the travel industry and cause unspeakable suffering around the world, there’s finally some light at the end of the tunnel. There are currently many COVID-19 vaccine trials ongoing, and numerous of these are in their final stages. There’s still no 100% guarantee of a … Continued

Hamad International Airport, Doha

Qatar’s Reputation Takes Huge Hit After Invasive Searches

Qatar Airways’ reputation has taken an enormous hit, with many Australians vowing never to fly through Qatar again, following shocking reports that women were subjected to human rights violations while transiting at Doha’s Hamad International Airport. Women on around 10 flights, including 13 Australians on QR908 to Sydney on 2 October 2020, were forcibly subjected … Continued

29 Oct 2020 Qatar Airways
Business Travel Is Dead. Is This a Bad Thing?

Business Travel Is Dead. Will It Return?

The COVID-19 pandemic has killed business travel. With borders closed, flights & events cancelled, and businesspeople told to work from home, people just aren’t flying for work like they used to any more. Airlines, hotels and other businesses that cater to corporate travellers will undoubtedly suffer if business travel does not recover. As a result, … Continued

Norfolk Island is Open for Tourism

Norfolk Island is Open for Tourism

Update (21 October): Air New Zealand will resume a second-weekly Sydney-Norfolk Island flight from November. With international borders shut, there are few opportunities for Australians to travel overseas this year. But Norfolk Island, an Australian territory located between New Zealand and New Caledonia, is open for business. Norfolk Island has introduced a similar hotspot-based system … Continued

What to Expect in Australian Hotel Quarantine

What to Expect in Australian Hotel Quarantine

If you’re returning to Australia from overseas – or travelling interstate from a designated COVID-19 hotspot – there’s a good chance you’ll end up in hotel quarantine. Since 29 March 2020, anyone arriving in Australia is required to undergo 14 days of managed isolation in a hotel room. This needs to be completed in government-designated … Continued

Qantas to Launch 7 New Regional Routes in Early 2021

Qantas Petitions for State Borders to Reopen

Qantas yesterday launched a fresh petition designed to place pressure on Australia’s state governments to reopen borders where it’s safe to do so. The petition, hosted on the Qantas website, calls on governments to “safely open our borders”. Qantas is encouraging its employees and customers to sign it. Here’s what the Qantas state border petition … Continued

11 Sep 2020 Qantas
How to Get an Exemption to Leave Australia

When Should Australia Lift its Outbound Travel Ban?

On 25 March 2020, the Australian government banned citizens and temporary residents from leaving the country without a special exemption. This extraordinary temporary measure was introduced amid growing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, the Australian outbound travel ban was widely viewed as reasonable. It’s now the end of August. Not only is … Continued

Bushfire damage is still clearly visible around Remarkable Rocks, Kangaroo Island

Podcast #43: Kangaroo Island

It has been a tough year for most Australian businesses, especially those involved in the tourism industry. But for the people of Kangaroo Island in South Australia, the coronavirus pandemic came right on the back of a nightmare summer of bushfires. After visiting Kangaroo Island this fortnight, Matt takes a close look at how these … Continued

Australian International Flights Down 98% in April 2020

Qantas International Flights Unlikely to Restart Before July 2021

Qantas today revealed that it does not expect international flights to resume until at least July 2021. The grim outlook came as Qantas announced a $2.7 billion statutory loss before tax for the 2019-20 financial year. In today’s announcement, the national carrier said that its international network was “unlikely to restart before July 2021; possibly … Continued

20 Aug 2020 Qantas
Qantas care pack

Qantas Selling Care Packs for $25

Do you know somebody who is missing travel or doing it tough under the current Victorian lockdown? You can now brighten up their day by sending them a Qantas care pack! Qantas has begun selling care packages which include business class pyjamas, amenity kits, tim tams, tea and bags of the smoked almonds served in … Continued

14 Aug 2020 Qantas

Virgin’s COVID-19 Business Class Experience Disappoints

I’ve previously written a fairly positive review of Virgin Australia’s Boeing 737 Business Class. But during COVID-19 it’s a very different experience. As I discovered on a recent flight from Canberra to Brisbane, Virgin Australia Business class passengers are no longer receiving even close to the full Business class experience during COVID-19. Flight Details Flight number … Continued

1 Aug 2020 Flight Reviews