Flying overseas? You may have to get coronavirus vaccine
WELLINGTON โ International air travel could come booming back next year but with a new rule: Travelers to certain countries must be vaccinated against the coronavirus before they can fly. Encouraging news about vaccine development has given airlines and nations hope they may soon be able to revive suspended flight routes and dust off lucrative tourism plans. In Australia, the boss of Qantas, the country's largest airline, said that once a virus vaccine becomes widely available, his carrier will likely require passengers use it before they can travel abroad or land in Australia. He said they were looking at ways to electronically verify that people have the necessary vaccine for their intended destination, a difficult task. Many people are hoping that vaccinations will become widely available next year, paving the way for a broader reopening of international air travel.
Australia's Qantas airline to cut 6,000 jobs as virus hits
WELLINGTON Qantas plans to cut at least 6,000 jobs and keep 15,000 more workers on extended furloughs as Australia's largest airline tries to survive the coronavirus pandemic. Qantas announced a plan Thursday to reduce costs by billions of dollars and raise fresh capital. The plan includes grounding 100 planes for a year or more and immediately retiring its six remaining Boeing 747 planes. Chief Executive Alan Joyce said the airline has to become smaller as it braces for several years of much lower revenues. This crisis has still hit us very, very hard and the impact will be felt for a long time," Joyce said.