Mystery Flights, the evolution of vacation roulette, are born
Would you ever board a plane with an unknown destination? That's the idea of "Mystery Flights," launched by Qantas to encourage [...]
Qantas
Oneworld
Would you ever board a plane with an unknown destination? That's the idea of the "Mystery Flights", launched by Qantas To encourage domestic tourism in Australia.
In this article:
The country, in fact, still has closed borders. And, with the absence of tourism from abroad and to foreign countries, it was necessary to come up with something to "entice" Australians. How do they work? Let's find out together.
What are Mystery Flights
Mystery Flights have been put on sale by Qantas as of March 4. Who are they intended for? To those who can/will depart from Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne Without knowing the city of arrival. With the certainty that, however, you stay within Australia's borders.
Each flight is limited to 120 passengers and the destination is Within two hours of the departure airport. However, some clues were provided. To those departing from Sydney, the company promised "the tropics, salt water on the skin and long lunches on the beach." Those departing from Brisbane can expect "genuine hospitality, gourmet food and wine and outdoor fun," those departing from Melbourne should expect "great outdoors, walking, food and wine and regional farmers' markets." I All-Inclusive Packages cost 737 Australian dollars in Economy and 1,570 in Business (equal to about 485 and 1,016 euros).
"The vaccine plan is working and national restrictions will soon be a thing of the past. The Mystery Flights are meant to be a way to support tour operators in remote areas, which have been particularly hard hit by the pandemic," commented Stephanie Tully, Chief Customer Office at Qantas. A company that, already last year, made headlines with the "Flights to Nowhere". And chAnd expects to restart with international flights next October.
That "mystery flights" are the future of travel? Probably not. What is certain is that they can help airlines, and tourist facilities in general, at one of the darkest times in history. After all, surprises please (almost) everyone.
Traveling in Australia today
Can you go to Australia today? The answer is no.
Or rather, for Italy, Australia falls into Group D along with New Zealand, Republic of Korea, Rwanda, Singapore and Thailand. Those who live in a white or yellow region can travel to these countries without the need for justification, but not all countries are open to receiving us. Australia, in this case, is not.
Domestic and international borders are closed until next June 17 (at least): no one is allowed in or out of the country, neither foreigners nor Australian citizens. The very few people allowed in (cases are assessed one by one) are obliged to comply with a 14-day quarantine in facilities designated by local authorities. The requirement also applies to those who have already been vaccinated, and they are monitored daily by police and health authorities. Anyone over the age of 5 must also submit a negative PCR test conducted within the previous 72 hours, accompanied by a paper result translated into English.
No chance, then, for those who dream of spending their vacations in Australia. At least for a while. Whether or not it will then be possible to do so in the summer, as of today, cannot be known.
