Qantas aircraft at Sydney airport. The airline and its budget arm Jetstar are preparing to ramp up domestic services when border restrictions ease. Photograph: Joel Carrett/AAP

Australian domestic travel explained: where can I fly and is it too soon to plan an interstate holiday?

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We try to answer the most pressing questions about air travel and holidays during the coronavirus pandemic

With Australia tentatively easing its state lockdowns after flattening the curve, attention has turned to tourism, flights and reopening state borders.

While most state premiers seem cautious, the federal tourism minister and airlines are keen to see flights back up and running.

But is it safe to fly? What precautions should you take? Is there even anywhere to travel to?

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Here we try to answer the most pressing questions when it comes to air travel and holidays during the pandemic.

These answers are based on comments from politicians, experts and industry stakeholders and should not be treated as medical or legal advice.

Where can I fly?

As of 20 May, the majority of state and territory border closures are still in place, so interstate holidays are unlikely in the immediate future.

Here are the current travel restrictions:

New South Wales, Victoria and the ACT – There have been no border closures in Victoria, NSW or the ACT throughout the entire pandemic. You can fly into them without trouble and legally travel between without having to isolate. But if you are coming from any other state or territory, chances are you will need to quarantine when you arrive back.
Queensland – There is currently a hard border closure in Queensland, meaning unless it’s for essential reasons you are not allowed to enter the state. You can return if you are a Queensland resident, but if you have been to a “Covid-19 hotspot” in the last 14 days you must quarantine for two weeks. These hotspots consist of a considerable number of local government areas in Victoria and NSW. A full list can be found here.
Western Australia – Some of the country’s strictest border closures are in place in WA. You are not permitted to enter the state unless you have been granted a special exemption and, if you are a WA resident, you must apply for an exemption before you leave the state, and must isolate for 14 days when you return.
South Australia – While SA has closed its border, it’s a softer closure than Queensland or WA. You are allowed in but you must self-isolate for 14 days unless you are an essential traveller.
Tasmania – Similar to SA, all non-essential travellers to Tasmania must quarantine for 14 days upon arrival, including returning residents.
Northern Territory – All non-essential travellers entering the NT, including returning residents, must undergo 14 days mandatory quarantine and pay a ‘quarantine fee’ of $2,500 for individuals and $5,000 for families.

Which airlines are flying?

Currently Qantas, Virgin and Region Express airlines are flying extremely limited domestic schedules.

Qantas and its budget arm Jetstar are preparing to ramp up domestic services when border restrictions ease, with the company’s chief executive, Alan Joyce, urging travellers to begin planning their trips.

Rex also appears to be preparing for increased regional travel.

It’s unclear if and when Virgin will begin regular interstate flights as the company is currently in voluntary administration. This includes the company’s low-cost offshoot TigerAir.

Will there be physical distancing on flights?

No.

The Qantas chief executive has stated the airline will not be observing physical distancing aboard planes, either by spacing out passengers or leaving middle rows free. Joyce said that doing so would drastically inflate ticket prices and, given the seemingly low rates of transmission on aeroplanes, would not be economically justifiable.

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“This idea of the middle seat [being left free] isn’t social distancing, it’s a 60cm difference between two people. To get the full [1.5 metres] squared, you will end up with 22 people on an aircraft of 180 seats and the airfares are nine to 10 times as much,” he told ABC radio.

Regional Express has said it will try to allocate alternating occupied and unoccupied seats where possible, however, it will still fill planes to capacity if need be.

Are planes safe when it comes to Covid-19?

There is no simple answer to this.

As Joyce and other airline executive are quick to point out, there have been very few known or suspected cases of Covid-19 transmission on aeroplanes.

When announcing plans to ramp up domestic flights, the Qantas medical director, Dr Ian Hosegood, said due to the physical arrangement of planes they were safer than other forms of public transit.

“That’s due to a combination of factors, including the cabin air filtration system, the fact people don’t sit face-to-face and the high backs of aircraft seats acting as a physical barrier. As far as the virus goes, an aircraft cabin is a very different environment to other forms of public transport,” he said.

“In-flight transmission’s just not something that we’ve seen, and that was even during the peak of the pandemic. At this point and into the coming weeks the likelihood of anyone travelling domestically with Covid is extremely low, and those other factors mean that the risk is infinitesimal.”

But a number of epidemiologists and infectious disease experts do not agree.

Prof Raina MacIntyre, a virologist at the University of NSW, told ABC she would not be flying until vaccinated for Covid-19.

The infectious disease expert and epidemiology professor Marylouise McLaws told Guardian Australia that, like other densely populated enclosed spaces, planes were likely “brilliant amplification environments” for the virus.

“Perhaps there haven’t been confirmed cases from flights, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t be careful, and it could just mean we haven’t identified them as a risk factor yet … There are still a significant amount of cases that are under investigation,” she said.

Many planes have advanced air filtration systems that refresh the air in the cabins every few minutes and remove virus particles, but multiple epidemiologists have said this likely won’t protect you if someone in your immediate area is infectious.

Should I wear a mask on a flight?

Yes, unless you have a medical reason not to.

Regardless of whether an airline mandates wearing a mask, McLaws said it is a vital step in protecting yourself and others on flights.

“Preventing Covid-19 is a bundle of many things … When you can’t have one of those, such as social distancing, you need to protect yourself from inhaling or exhaling the virus with a mask.”

Even if you are not directly seated near other people, wearing a mask is still important as people are regularly moving around the cabin, through narrow aisles.

It may be difficult for those with respiratory illnesses such as emphysema to wear a mask, but if you are medically able, McLaw highly recommends you do so at all times while flying.

Qantas is currently not planning to make mask-wearing mandatory when its “fly well” safety procedures roll out on 12 June. It will be providing masks to all passengers and recommending they be worn, but will only require this if a passenger is displaying symptoms during the flight.

From 1 June it will be mandatory for all passengers on Regional Express flights to wear a mask while travelling unless they are exempt for medical reasons. While you can purchase a mask at the time of your flight, passengers are encouraged to bring their own.

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McLaws notes that if lower grade or cloth face masks are being used passengers should not talk during the flight.

“Cloth masks provide anywhere between 10 and 60% protection. That’s not at the 98% of a hospital-grade mask, therefore the wearer is required not to speak or laugh through the mask. This will push particles through the looser weave.”

What else are airlines doing?

Qantas has laid out a “fly well” program, which aims to increase safety on all Qantas and Jetstar flights. Measures at airports include contactless check-ins, extra disinfectant stations at terminals and rearranging the Qantas lounge. Onboard there is additional cleaning of aircraft, travellers being asked to limit movements around the cabin, limits on the number of times attendants offer food and drinks, and the provision of alcohol wipes to all passengers.

Rex will also have mandatory temperature testing of all passengers and Qantas appears to be ramping up this testing as well. On both airlines, travellers with flu-like symptoms will be turned away from flights.

What if I feel sick on the day of my flight?

Along with new safety procedures, Qantas has increased flexibility for all Qantas and Jetstar flights.

For domestic flights booked between 21 May and 30 June, for travel between 12 June and 31 October, the change of flight fee will be waived one time.

This means as long as you haven’t already changed your booking, if you wake up with a raised temperature or any flu-like symptoms you are able to reschedule your flight with no charge. If you are denied boarding due to illness you can also be moved to another flight free of charge.

Rex said that in the event that someone was denied check-in due because they had a high temperature, the airline would allow them to rebook for a later date. Any refund would be considered on a case by case basis.

Is it too soon to be planning an interstate holiday?

It depends on who you ask, but currently, no states or territories are actively encouraging travellers to come to visit.

The national cabinet guidelines have suggested 10 July as the time to review interstate travel, however, it’s unclear which states are likely to follow this.

The Queensland premier, Annastacia Palaszczuk, has said the state’s borders would be reviewed at the end of each month, with September floated as a “realistic” timeframe by the state’s chief health officer.

Previously, the Northern Territory chief minister, Michael Gunner, said the state border would be lifted “dead last” and Western Australia appears to be on a similar trajectory.

On the other hand, the NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, has urged other states to reopen sooner rather than later, and holiday travel inside the state will be allowed from 1 June.

The federal tourism minister, Simon Birmingham, said he would like to see restriction relaxed in time for the winter tourism boom.

“Those states who’ve got border controls in place, assuming we’ve continued to see very low rates of transmission of Covid-19, ought to be looking at opening up their borders,” he said.

“We need people moving across this country again when it’s safe to do so.”

Unsurprisingly, airlines are also keen to see travel begin again.

“We look forward hopefully to seeing a lot of you on our flights in July for a holiday,” Joyce said.

“I encourage you to do your research now and to look at some of the very attractive airfares we’re going to have … If you need to visit family and friends, now’s the time to start planning.”

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