Qantas and Jetstar are increasing their domestic flights as travel restrictions begin to ease around Australia.
From June, domestic services will increase five percent from pre-COVID levels and up to 15 percent by the end of the month, equating to more than 300 more return flights a week.
The extra flights will likely increase again in July, depending on demand and the status of border closures.
The service boost will include more services on capital city routes, particularly Melbourne to Sydney and to-and-from Canberra.
Also, intra-state flights in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and South Australia will restart.
Alan Joyce, Qantas Group CEO said Australians are itching to travel and the group are already seeing demand for flights in the coming weeks.
“We know there is a lot of pent-up demand for air travel and we are already seeing a big increase in customers booking and planning flights in the weeks and months ahead,” Mr Joyce said.
The extra flights will give a much needed boost to tourism-dependent destinations and towns, Mr Joyce added.
“The one million people who work in tourism around Australia have been really hurting over the past few months. These additional flights are an important first step to help get more people out into communities that rely on tourism and bring a much-needed boost to local businesses.”
To keep customers safe, Qantas and Jetstar flights will be introducing a range of measures to ensure a safe environment at airports on onboard.
“Customers will notice a number of differences when they fly, such as masks and sanitising wipes, and we’ll be sending out information before their flight so they know exactly what to expect and have some extra peace of mind,” Mr Joyce said.
“Importantly, the Australian Government’s medical experts have said the risk of contracting Coronavirus on an aircraft is low.”
Unfortunately for many of the airline’s employees, the majority of Qantas Group’s staff will remain stood down.
