COVID-19: South Australia to open borders with NSW from 24 September

Yipee! I will be off to Adelaide as soon as I can, to visit family and conclude some business! That is as long as NSW confirms on Wednesday (22 September) that there have been no new cases of community transmission of COVID-19.

Arrivals from NSW into South Australia will no longer have to complete 14 days of self quarantine.

To celebrate this opening, Qantas Group’s low-cost carrier is expected to have a flash sale in the next 24 hours according to news.com outlets.

Qantas Flights

Qantas, who haven’t been flying between Adelaide and Sydney since July has already scheduled flights from Thursday 24 September:

• QF735 – Sydney to Adelaide 9:15 am
• QF740 – Adelaide to Sydney 11:40 am

Prices are over AU$200 each way for a Red e-Deal, and up around the AU$500 mark for flexible fares.

I watched the lower fares disappear in front of my eyes a few minutes ago!

Jetstar Flights

These are running with one direct flight a day to Adelaide, and sometimes a second flight out of Adelaide:

• JQ768 – Sydney to Adelaide 14:50
• JQ761 – Adelaide to Sydney 09:25
• JQ767 – Adelaide to Sydney 17:10 (from October?)

Jetstar is expected to increase flights from 5 times a week to twice daily from October 1st and then increase again to 3 times daily form 1 November.

Jetstar Flash Sale

Expect this in the next 24 hours

Virgin Australia Flights

Virgin continues to run one direct flight a day to Adelaide from Sydney:

• VA426 – Sydney to Adelaide 15:45
• VA409 – Adelaide to Sydney 08:00

These flights are around AU$352 return or about AU$176 per leg.

Virgin return flights from Adelaide to Sydney will increase to daily from October 2, and to twice a day from 2 November. You can book these flights from tomorrow (23 September).

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

I’m very excited to be catching a plane, and going to see my family and friends in Adelaide for the first time since mid-March 2020! I just hope I don’t feel that COVID related anxiety in the lounge and on the plane that I felt back in March.

This also indicates a further relaxation of state border restrictions, which will help the airlines, and other businesses in their recovery.

I’m excited like a child – which incidentally is part of my family business – meeting my new 3-month-old relation!