A Power Move: Qantas Has Reopened International Travel From July 1, 2021
Quiet down everyone, this is important! International travel might be a GO, I repeat, a GO, from July 1 this year. Let me explain.
In a bold showing of corporate bravado, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce has reopened international flight bookings from July 1, 2021. The Australian airline is now accepting bookings to the overseas destination of your choice, including the US and the UK, whose populations continue to suffer badly from outbreaks of COVID-19.
Previously, the airline said flights to the US and UK would be off the cards until at least October 2021, but pushed the date forward in line with COVID-19 vaccine developments coming sooner than expected. Joyce has previously said that Qantas passengers will need to be vaccinated against the disease before being allowed to get on a plane.
"We continue to review and update our international schedule in response to the developing COVID-19 situation," a Qantas spokesperson reportedly said. "Recently we have aligned the selling of our international services to reflect our expectation that international travel will begin to restart from July 2021."
But while you can book yourself a flight, nothing's set in stone. Being able to leave the country in six months is conditional on a COVID-19 vaccine being approved for Australian use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) and delivered to the wider population. It's also conditional on the federal government lifting their ban on all outgoing travel by that date.
As always, we'll just have to wait and see.
Written by Reena Gupta, a Melbourne-based writer at MTV Australia. Follow her at @purpletank
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