The New Zealand Government has extended the initial 48 hour grace period by 24 hours to allow Air New Zealand to fly Kiwis home from Queenstown.
The airline will operate seven services from Queenstown – Auckland and Queenstown – Wellington to ensure that customers in the resort town can get home safely for the remainder of the lockdown period.
Flights will be available shortly to book via the Air New Zealand website, and the schedule is as follows –
| Queenstown – Wellington | |
| NZ604 | 12:20pm departure |
| NZ608 | 4.00pm departure |
| Queenstown – Auckland | |
| NZ6144 | 10:30am departure |
| NZ6146 | 1:05pm departure |
| NZ630 | 1:40pm departure |
| NZ6148 | 3:20pm departure |
| NZ628 | 8:00pm departure |
Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran said he is relieved that the Government has extended the grace period by an additional 24 hours.
“We said it on Tuesday, and we will say it again. Delivering Kiwis home safely during this period is our priority, so we are grateful that the Government has allowed us to do just that.
“Yesterday we added four additional services out of Queenstown for today, and they sold out within minutes. Queenstown is a popular holiday destination, so it’s no surprise to us that it’s where the pressure is coming from.”
“We estimate there is somewhere around 600 people requiring flights, so we are confident that the additional 700 seats tomorrow will ensure that there are options for those that need it. As always, we will continue to monitor the demand and adjust as needed”.
The Air New Zealand contact centre and social media team are currently experiencing very high demand, and the airline is grateful to customers for their patience while it works through these changes.
For the latest information, customers can check the Air New Zealand COVID-19 Hub and travel alerts page.
Image source: © Wetnose1 | Megapixl.com
Get vaccinated against the coronavirus!
In the light of rising COVID positive cases, followed by unprecedented lockdowns and border closure, Tourism Australia has taken a major step by promoting vaccination, instead of traveling this time.
The tourism industry utterly depends upon travel demands of civilians, but the industry understands the need of the hour. It’s high time for the Government and the civilians to positively work towards robust vaccination.
On August 16, Australian newspapers, TV channels and social media were engrossed with the new campaign, “It’s our best shot for travel.”
Phillipa Harrison, Managing Director of Tourism Australia, the country’s official national tourism board, announced, “We need to claim back our way of life so that we can visit friends and relatives, get back into the workplace, get our kids back to school, travel domestically and internationally again, and welcome the world back to enjoy all that Australia has to offer.”
ALSO READ: Will new COVID-19 outbreak in Australia hit New Zealand’s tourism industry?
The real tear-jerker
No one can take away the acknowledgment of Australia’s brilliant performance in curbing the effects of the virus in the previous wave. However, the country lags in the vaccine drive.
The industry leaders and Government are passionate about escalating tourism, and thus, they promote regional tourism. However, with rising cases of new variants, interstate borders are shut again, and lockdowns are being imposed.
The New Zealand travel bubble was the sole hope for Australians for international travel. However, amid rising cases and the fear of worsening conditions, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern put a halt on the travel bubble, leading to a no-no situation for the Australian tourism industry.
The Government till now has been majorly unsuccessful to enforce an efficient vaccination drive. People were confused about the vaccines. Confusing messages were passed from the Government office. Subsequently, this led to chaos in the country and delayed vaccination.
Image source: © Cateyeperspective | Megapixl.com
INTERESTING SECTION: COVID-19
Light at the end of the tunnel
With timely lockdowns and other restrictions, conditions are now getting better in Australia. Sydney has been under lockdowns since COVID-19 cases rose again. Following the lockdowns, the government released new batches of Pfizer vaccines in New South Wales for the people of age group 20-39.
It’s great news for civilians as this age group has been targeted for the first time. Before this batch, health care workers and elderly people were vaccinated. The tourism industry is now promoting vaccination because until the civilians are not vaccinated, the industry can never revive.
To mark the next tick-list, Tourism Australia’s next campaign will be, “Put a Jab on the Menu.” The campaign will be launched later this year. The campaign is likely to feature some of Australia’s celebrity chefs who will make it more impactful.
Australia perhaps is not going through the best time, but with efficient policy making and implementation, the country can overcome the coronavirus crisis. The tourism industry is aware of the circumstances and is doing its best to promote healthy and safe living in the present unprecedented times.
SOURCE: KALKINE MEDIA
The New Zealand Government has extended the initial 48 hour grace period by 24 hours to allow Air New Zealand to fly Kiwis home from Queenstown.
The airline will operate seven services from Queenstown – Auckland and Queenstown – Wellington to ensure that customers in the resort town can get home safely for the remainder of the lockdown period.
Flights will be available shortly to book via the Air New Zealand website, and the schedule is as follows –
| Queenstown – Wellington | |
| NZ604 | 12:20pm departure |
| NZ608 | 4.00pm departure |
| Queenstown – Auckland | |
| NZ6144 | 10:30am departure |
| NZ6146 | 1:05pm departure |
| NZ630 | 1:40pm departure |
| NZ6148 | 3:20pm departure |
| NZ628 | 8:00pm departure |
Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran said he is relieved that the Government has extended the grace period by an additional 24 hours.
“We said it on Tuesday, and we will say it again. Delivering Kiwis home safely during this period is our priority, so we are grateful that the Government has allowed us to do just that.
“Yesterday we added four additional services out of Queenstown for today, and they sold out within minutes. Queenstown is a popular holiday destination, so it’s no surprise to us that it’s where the pressure is coming from.”
“We estimate there is somewhere around 600 people requiring flights, so we are confident that the additional 700 seats tomorrow will ensure that there are options for those that need it. As always, we will continue to monitor the demand and adjust as needed”.
The Air New Zealand contact centre and social media team are currently experiencing very high demand, and the airline is grateful to customers for their patience while it works through these changes.
For the latest information, customers can check the Air New Zealand COVID-19 Hub and travel alerts page.
