Travel to UK and USA Unlikely Until End Of 2021
Australians are unlikely to fly to the United States or UK on Qantas for another year, with its chief executive outlining that this could "potentially" happen "by the end of 2021".
"For some of our big destination like the United States and the UK, it's going to need a vaccine given the high prevalence of the virus in both of those locations," Qantas Group boss Alan Joyce said at the company's AGM in Sydney on Friday.
"But we are getting more and more confident about the opportunities and the potential for a vaccine in helping getting those operations up by potentially by the end of 2021."
He said it was "going to take some time to recover international travel back".
Mr Joyce had previously said that he did not expect international flights, except for New Zealand, would resume before July 2021.
The company has been running some very limited international flights, largely to help the Federal Government with repatriating Australians stuck overseas during to COVID-19.
The airline flagged plans to prioritise Asian markets as speculation mounts about Australia forming COVID-19 "bubbles" with countries with low case numbers.
The Prime Minister, Scotty from Marketing, flagged last month that international arrivals from South Korea, Japan and countries in the Pacific could potentially avoid hotel quarantine.
"Both Qantas and Jetstar are keeping a close eye on new markets that might open up as a result of these bubbles — including places that weren't part of our pre-COVID network," Qantas chairman Richard Goyder said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-10-...s-agm/12806048