Air NZ launches quarantine flights to/from Australia

From Air New Zealand:

Following today’s announcement from the New Zealand Government that quarantine-free travel is to remain suspended for a further eight weeks, Air New Zealand will be operating a limited number of quarantine flights between Australia and New Zealand to help get people home.

Due to this, and the ongoing uncertainty of the length of the Australian Government pause, quarantine-free services between 25 September and 30 November with the two nations will be cancelled.

For customers flying to Australia

The Australian Government has provided Air New Zealand with a limited number of managed isolation spaces meaning the airline can now operate a handful of quarantine flights to help get people back to Australia.

All current flights from New Zealand to Australia between 25 September and 30 November will be cancelled. Customers will receive a cancellation email later today and be given a credit for their flight.

The quarantine flights from New Zealand to Australia will be available to book from 10am NZT, Monday 20 September. Once customers have booked their flight, they will automatically receive an MIQ room allocation. The cost of mandatory isolation is not included in the flight booking.

Flights will be available for customers to book via the Air New Zealand website. The airline asks that customers do not contact its call centre as these flights are available online only, and there will be no waitlist.

For customers flying to New Zealand

For New Zealanders wanting to return home from Australia, the airline will be operating quarantine flights for customers who secure an MIQ space made available by the New Zealand Government.

All current flights from Australia to New Zealand between 25 September and 30 November will be cancelled. Customers will receive a cancellation email later today and be given a credit for their flight.

The airline’s quarantine flights from Australia to New Zealand will be available to book following the release of the Government’s managed isolation rooms at 9am NZT, Monday 20 September.

Air New Zealand asks that customers please align their MIQ booking with a day that matches the airline’s new schedule. Customers will have 48 hours to book their flights following securing an MIQ room.

All flights to New Zealand will be available for customers to book via the Air New Zealand website, or via a travel agent. The airline asks that customers do not contact its call centre.

Air New Zealand Chief Customer and Sales Officer Leanne Geraghty says so long as there are MIQ spaces available in either Australia and/or New Zealand, the airline will continue to operate flights to reconnect customers with their friends and whānau.

“We understand this continues to be a very distressing time for people trying to get home. We’re committed to doing everything we can to get customers back to where they need to be as safely and quickly as possible.

“Our teams have worked tirelessly to get these managed return flights up and running so we can reconnect customers with their loved ones. Should we receive additional allocations, these will be made available for customers to book online only, and we recommend that customers continue to check our website for updates.”

Once the quarantine flight schedule is confirmed, it will be available to view on the Air New Zealand Travel Alerts page.