No social distancing on domestic flights – Qantas says it must get a waiver on restrictions or tickets will be hugely expensive
- Qantas is looking at scrapping social distancing measures on domestic aircraft
- CEO Alan Joyce said airfares would be expensive to make up for lost passengers
- Joyce said there's been little evidence on passenger to passenger transmission
- Qantas introduced middle seat ban to adhere to social distancing measures
- Here’s how to help people impacted by Covid-19
Qantas has warned that tickets on its domestic flights will be very expensive unless it gets a waiver on social distancing regulations and is allowed to sell all seats on its planes when flights resume.
Last month the airline restricted passengers from sitting in the middle seat in domestic travel so as to provide some space between travellers, to reduce the chances of a spread of COVID-19.
But Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said there has been little evidence of passenger to passenger transmission on the limited flights during the lockdown and keeping seats empty would only increase the price for patrons.
Mr Joyce pointed out that the federal government approved full planes on repatriation flights returning Australians from India.
'We just need to get those practices that are on those charter flights into the domestic operation, which is our intent,' Mr Joyce told the ABC's 7.30.
Qantas banned passengers from sitting in the middle seat after a photo of a packed flight from Townsville to Brisbane went viral last month
'Even if you take the middle seat as being empty, that's 60 centimetres. The social distancing rules are supposed to be 1.5 metres. If you did that, you'd have very few people on an aircraft and the airfares would have to be very high.'
Qantas was lobbying government for social distancing rules to be exempt on domestic aircraft once restrictions are relaxed.
Mr Joyce said measures such as thorough cleaning of the aircraft would help passengers feel 'confident' to travel.
'There's been no known transmission of COVID-19 passenger to passenger or passenger to crew, and there's huge tracking been done on that in this country,' he said.
Last week the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said leaving the middle seat vacant would have heavy financial impacts and should not be recommended.
Planes need to have 77 per cent of seats filled in order for the airline to break even, says the IATA.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said there is little evidence to show passenger to passenger transmission of COVID-19 on board planes
Social distancing would mean airfares would need to rise by 54 per cent in the Asia Pacific region just to keep an airline afloat, the association claims.
Qantas' ban on middle seats followed the surfacing of a photo in mid-April showing a packed flight from Townsville in far north Queensland to Brisbane.
No one was wearing a face mask on the one hour and 45 minute flight.
'This is a on a flight from North Queensland to Brisbane today for work. What kind of social distancing is this?' the passenger captioned the photo that was shared to Twitter.
Virgin Australia also blocked off seats to allow distance between passengers on domestic flights.
Air New Zealand said only around half the seats would be filled after resuming domestic flights to ensure social distancing.
The International Air Transport Association estimated airfares would increase by 54 per cent in the Asia Pacific region if aircraft adhered to social distancing rules
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