In an interview with the Australian, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the total number of Australians who are offered a vaccine, rather than how many people take it, should be the key to unlocking the country’s international borders.
Qantas boss Alan Joyce is among many business leaders who have responded to the national cabinet’s four-phase pathway out of the pandemic announced on Friday to resume international travel eventually.
The missing pieces, of course, were that Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s plan did not include any timeframes for the four phases, nor a commitment towards a magic vaccination number of Australians to reach to ensure international borders could safely reopen.
Mr Joyce said he agreed with Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk and Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews, who said last week international borders should reopen once everyone had been offered the vaccine, irrespective of actual vaccination rates.
“If the logic of Dan Andrews and Annastacia Palaszczuk applies, once we’ve got every adult who wants a vaccine to be vaccinated, then surely that should be the threshold,” Mr Joyce told The Australian. “I support that logic.”
Mr Joyce said the government should move to reopen domestic and international borders in 2022; if it were the case, every Australian who wanted a vaccine would get one by the end of 2021.
“Most people should be vaccinated before the end of the calendar year,” he said. “Hopefully, they can meet that time frame.”
While the national carrier had been looking at an October return for international flights, Mr Joyce called for more clarity on when “this cycle of lockdowns and interruptions” would end.
“We need some clear metrics to be able to chart our progress, so we know when we’re halfway or three-quarters of the way through each of the phases,” Mr Joyce told the Australian Financial Review.
“I think that’s important psychologically as much as anything.” He said.
Qantas had previously revealed it was thinking about rewarding travellers who get both doses of the coronavirus vaccine with points and vouchers to use towards their next trips.
In a bid to boost vaccine numbers in Australia, Qantas had indicated in May that those who roll up their sleeves could be gifted with travel incentives.
At the time, Qantas Chief Customer Officer Stephanie Tully said as a large company that relies on travel, the airline was eager to get its planes back in the air and assist the government with the national vaccine rollout.
The proposed incentive would see newly vaccinated travellers bag themselves Qantas points, Qantas or Jetstar flight vouchers, or status credits for frequent flyers. This could include 1000 Qantas points for each person who got vaccinated, equating between $20 and $25 in value.