As some Australian states shut their borders, the nation’s largest carriers, Qantas and Virgin Australia, have begun to cut more domestic services.
Although they’ve already cut domestic capacity by up to 60%, the airlines have continued to axe some of their most frequented routes in response to the ongoing threat of Covid-19. A combination of reduced demand and economical impact has been driving this decision, which follows the Government’s advise for Australians to avoid all non-essential domestic travel.
Tasmania, Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory have been the first states to announce the closure of borders, which will start from this week with a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period for anyone arriving in the state.
Virgin Australia has also announced that it will be waiving all change fees and fare differences to help Australians return home. Guests who are booked in on a Virgin Australia or Tigerair flight scheduled to depart on or before this Friday can now go to a check-in counter and be moved to an earlier flight to get them home in time.
Qantas has also announced that all lounges across their network will be shut beginning from today.
In other airlines news, Emirates has announced a massive reduction in passenger operations.
For real-time updates its best to follow each airline on their social media channels. You can click through to Qantas’ Twitter HERE, and Virgin Australia’s HERE.
