A major airline has insisted it won’t allow travelers to fly internationally unless they’ve had the COVID-19 vaccine when it becomes widely available. The CEO of Australia’s Qantas, which flies to more than 27 countries around the world, says he believes that the vaccine will be “a necessity” not just for his own company but other airlines around the world in 2021 and beyond.
- There aren’t many flights in and out of Australia at the moment. Most flights for Qantas and other airlines have been suspended through the rest of 2020 and likely won’t open until at least mid-2021. The borders are currently closed to non-residents and even those who do have the right to be there must quarantine for two weeks upon their arrival in a government-approved hotel (and pay for the stay to the tune of $3,000 AUD!).
- Airlines may make vaccination a prerequisite to flying. Qantas CEO Alan Joyce says that when the COVID-19 vaccine is available around the world, many airlines may consider making it compulsory prior to travel in order to avoid further spread of the illness, which has already devastated the hospitality industry. “We are looking at changing our terms and conditions to say for international travelers, we will ask people to have a vaccination before they can get on the aircraft,” he told Channel 9, as per the Executive Traveler. “I think that’s going to be a common thing talking to my colleagues in other airlines around the globe.”
- So how would a rule like this actually work? I mean, in theory, couldn’t anyone just claim to have had the vaccine even if they hadn’t? Not really. “What we’re looking at is how you can have a vaccination passport, an electronic version of it, that certifies what the vaccine is, is it acceptable to the country you are traveling to,” Joyce explained. “There’s a lot of logistics, a lot of technology that will be needed to put in place to make this happen, but the airlines and the governments are working on this as we speak.”
- You’re welcome to stay unvaccinated, but you won’t be traveling. While most governments won’t make vaccination against COVID or any other illness mandatory, it’s perfectly right for airlines and certain countries to set their own rules for what’s acceptable.
