Wait, so now breathing in secondhand smoke is different to breathing in your potentially virus-laden aerosols? If you don't like my smoke, you can get off the plane. That's your logic.
I hope someone forwards your Kung Flu comment to VA and you get fired for it. That is plain racist.
Last editedby DiscountEconomyPleb at Apr 08, 2021, 12:23 PM.
Haha the racism card now. You people are so predictable. Precious.
I'm gay yet I'll still eat my Golden Gaytime icecream and use the word "poof" if I like.
And yet if someone makes a homophobic comment then you’d be the first to arc up about it. I’m Asian and I take great offense to your comment.
Wait, so now breathing in secondhand smoke is different to breathing in your potentially virus-laden aerosols? If you don't like my smoke, you can get off the plane. That's your logic.
I hope someone forwards your Kung Flu comment to VA and you get fired for it. That is plain racist.
Last editedby DiscountEconomyPleb at Apr 08, 2021, 12:23 PM.
Haha the racism card now. You people are so predictable. Precious.
I'm gay yet I'll still eat my Golden Gaytime icecream and use the word "poof" if I like.
And yet if someone makes a homophobic comment then you’d be the first to arc up about it. I’m Asian and I take great offense to your comment.
Can Admin please ban this clown.
Omg. I couldn't really give two hoots. Never bothered me.
I have Asian friends and they're the first to make fun of themselves. Calling it the Kung Flu, saying they're terrible drivers etc. When did people forget how to laugh?
Doesn't mean anything. It's an advertisement, could have been taken before Covid or even if more recently, what's shown on TV doesn't necessarily reflect reality. I mean, it would be pretty absurd if all TV shows and ads showed everyone masked!
So to answer your question - no, officially masks are still required on board aircraft except when eating and drinking.
From recent news footage about the launch of the Aus-NZ travel bubble, many passengers can be seen wearing their masks on their chins and half the people (recently arrived passengers and friends/family greeting them) are not wearing masks in the arrivals hall.
It seems that in the arrivals hall, either there is no mask mandate (neither in Australia or New Zealand) or they simply aren't enforcing it, at least in that section of the airport.
This contrasts with many Asian countries, where it appears that even if you're just picking up someone in the arrivals hall, you must be masked and this applies even to young children.
Thanks for all the replies, the rhetoric has been interesting. One of the posters was a doctor and I found his remarks very interesting. If he's a specialist in respiratory illnesses then I guess he's got the right to make his point. However, OSA takes many forms and requires the use of different machines. My machine is an ASV which basically means that it has to prompt me to breathe at times. I've found that anything that compromises my breathing pattern will have an effect on my SPO2 levels. The basic masks certainly affect my breathing to the point where I can't seem to get enough air. I find myself breathing harder and faster. I don't really want to be in a state for a six hour flight where my oxygen levels may be compromised.
However, it seems that I might be able to fly mask free. If my fellow passengers don't like it I don't see the need to explain it to them. If I didn't have this condition then I would be happy to wear a mask.
It's more than having a defense against prosecution. Airlines will not let you fly without a mask, unless exempt. VA is clear that if you have trouble breathing with a mask you can be exempt. They suggest you complete and email a Medical Clearance form, signed by your doctor, at least 72 hours prior to travel. This makes good sense, crew will know in advance and no discussion needed. See VA website. Qantas probably has a similar process.
From my experience with VA last week, masks are optional so there should be no problem.
Just wear it until the plane takes off and then remove it down around your neck, like half the people on the plane do anyway, the flight attendants don’t say anything, I was on a flight last week, half the pax didn’t have their masks over their face.
Agreed. From my experience it seems very optional on both Qantas and VA.
Again, I work for VA and we can't ask for proof of exemption, so if you can't wear a mask just explain this to staff at check in.
All these people saying it's selfish, they should drive etc, get over yourselves. How many people have got seriously ill on aeroplanes? How many returned travellers have died in quarantine over the past year from COVID?
I know of doctors who have given exemptions for mild asthma, claustrophobic and anxiety. If the person feels the mask affects their overall functioning, then it's up to them.
Last editedby Jono777 at Apr 08, 2021, 08:30 AM.
“If the person feels the mask affects their overall functioning, then it's up to them.”
Again, I work for VA and we can't ask for proof of exemption, so if you can't wear a mask just explain this to staff at check in.
All these people saying it's selfish, they should drive etc, get over yourselves. How many people have got seriously ill on aeroplanes? How many returned travellers have died in quarantine over the past year from COVID?
I know of doctors who have given exemptions for mild asthma, claustrophobic and anxiety. If the person feels the mask affects their overall functioning, then it's up to them.
Last editedby Jono777 at Apr 08, 2021, 08:30 AM.
“If the person feels the mask affects their overall functioning, then it's up to them.”
Is it? Is that what the Health Directive says?
Nuh, that’s not what the health authorities say. But apparently a VA employee is more authoritative than healthcare professionals so we all better listen to him. Btw next time I’m flying the plane and the captain can bugger off….
Just wear it until the plane takes off and then remove it down around your neck, like half the people on the plane do anyway, the flight attendants don’t say anything, I was on a flight last week, half the pax didn’t have their masks over their face.
Agreed. From my experience it seems very optional on both Qantas and VA.
Interesting. It looks to me like that it remains mandatory in theory, but in practice, if you remove your mask (or better yet, just wear it on your chin) no one says anything. In other words - make sure to arrive at the airport check-in counter wearing your mask, then lower it under your chin while in the transit hall. Put it back up when you board your flight, then once airborne, you can lower it again until you get off the flight. No one seems to care once you're in the arrivals hall, whether in Australia or New Zealand.
I wonder if this policy extends to Qantas' international flights? Let's say you're coming into Australia from wherever, could be Singapore, Thailand, China, the UK - is it the same policy as within Australia and New Zealand - masks not required for under 12s and a loosey goosy policy for adults (meaning you can get away with wearing it under your chin after take-off)?
Wearing a mask on a long-haul international flight is a lot more difficult than on a short-haul domestic flight.
One day back on this website and the whinging, self-entitlement and selfishness of its members has already annoyed me. I am a doctor (dual specialty in infectious diseases and acute care general medicine) and there is no way sleep apnoea or any respiratory condition should classify as a medical exemption from wearing a mask. Sleep apnoea shouldn’t even cause any issues when you’re awake, unless you have co-existing obesity hypoventilation syndrome with daytime hypoxia, and even then wearing a mask doesn’t affect your oxygen levels. If you have a respiratory condition you’d think you’d want to wear a mask all the more, as a respiratory infection (covid or not) would make you a lot more sick than the average person. My good friend from uni is a specialist respiratory physician and hasn’t ever granted a medical exemption from wearing a mask. With the rate you lot seem to think a mask is harmful, half the world’s surgeons and theatre nurses would’ve died years ago.
As a Dr myself I agree with this post 100% . Nothing more to add. I won't be handing out exemptions without extremely good reason. "Just get a letter from your GP " seems to be the answer to everything these days!
Just read the various pieces of state legislation to see what the requirements are regarding wearing masks in places including on aircraft as they fly above state territory. If is is not mandated in a piece of state legislation then you have no legal obligation. It's quite simple. But the legislation changes regularly depending upon the level of fear a premier is feeling on the day.
Just read the various pieces of state legislation to see what the requirements are regarding wearing masks in places including on aircraft as they fly above state territory. If is is not mandated in a piece of state legislation then you have no legal obligation. It's quite simple. But the legislation changes regularly depending upon the level of fear a premier is feeling on the day.
From the legislation I've seen, it appears that all states and territories still require them at present (for individuals aged 12 and above), but enforcement isn't super strict especially once you're on the plane. This isn't the USA or pretty much any other part of the world where 2 year olds are de-planed for not having their masks above their noses for the entire flight.
Like I mentioned - it looks like if you present yourself at the check-in counter and at boarding with a mask on, that's all that seems to be needed.
In the arrivals hall, no one cares.
If I were flying domestically in Australia now, I'd walk around with a mask on my chin and never even lift it up. So far it's done the trick for me where I am now; doubtful any airline or airport official would ask me to put it up if I were travelling domestically in Australia at present.
Australia and New Zealand do appear to be quite relaxed about all this compared with the super strict authoritarianism on show elsewhere in the world.
@s4172249.....Surgeons and theatre staff do not wear masks to protect themselves. It's to reduce the possibility that the patient gets an infection in the operating theatre.
@s4172249.....Surgeons and theatre staff do not wear masks to protect themselves. It's to reduce the possibility that the patient gets an infection in the operating theatre.
Thanks for that buddy, as a doctor I’m well aware why masks are worn in operating theatres. Likewise, the point of universal surgical mask wearing is to prevent the transmission of airborne and droplet-borne diseases to your fellow passengers, which is why I find the discussions on this thread about how to circumvent the rules to be selfish and moronic in the extreme.
DiscountEconomyPleb
DiscountEconomyPleb
Member since 08 Apr 2021
Total posts 4
Originally Posted by Jono777
Originally Posted by DiscountEconomyPleb
Wait, so now breathing in secondhand smoke is different to breathing in your potentially virus-laden aerosols? If you don't like my smoke, you can get off the plane. That's your logic.
I hope someone forwards your Kung Flu comment to VA and you get fired for it. That is plain racist.
I'm gay yet I'll still eat my Golden Gaytime icecream and use the word "poof" if I like.
Can Admin please ban this clown.
Jono777
Jono777
Member since 10 Jul 2020
Total posts 9
Originally Posted by DiscountEconomyPleb
Originally Posted by Jono777
Originally Posted by DiscountEconomyPleb
Wait, so now breathing in secondhand smoke is different to breathing in your potentially virus-laden aerosols? If you don't like my smoke, you can get off the plane. That's your logic.
I hope someone forwards your Kung Flu comment to VA and you get fired for it. That is plain racist.
I'm gay yet I'll still eat my Golden Gaytime icecream and use the word "poof" if I like.
Can Admin please ban this clown.
I have Asian friends and they're the first to make fun of themselves. Calling it the Kung Flu, saying they're terrible drivers etc. When did people forget how to laugh?
FFTrev
FFTrev
Qantas - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 23 Sep 2013
Total posts 11
I notice the latest QF TV advertising shows most passengers/crew not wearing masks inflight - are masks exempt when aircraft not in the air ?
TheFreqFlyer
TheFreqFlyer
Member since 05 Oct 2017
Total posts 89
Doesn't mean anything. It's an advertisement, could have been taken before Covid or even if more recently, what's shown on TV doesn't necessarily reflect reality. I mean, it would be pretty absurd if all TV shows and ads showed everyone masked!
So to answer your question - no, officially masks are still required on board aircraft except when eating and drinking.
From recent news footage about the launch of the Aus-NZ travel bubble, many passengers can be seen wearing their masks on their chins and half the people (recently arrived passengers and friends/family greeting them) are not wearing masks in the arrivals hall.
It seems that in the arrivals hall, either there is no mask mandate (neither in Australia or New Zealand) or they simply aren't enforcing it, at least in that section of the airport.
This contrasts with many Asian countries, where it appears that even if you're just picking up someone in the arrivals hall, you must be masked and this applies even to young children.
holden
holden
Member since 06 Dec 2014
Total posts 18
Thanks for all the replies, the rhetoric has been interesting. One of the posters was a doctor and I found his remarks very interesting. If he's a specialist in respiratory illnesses then I guess he's got the right to make his point. However, OSA takes many forms and requires the use of different machines. My machine is an ASV which basically means that it has to prompt me to breathe at times. I've found that anything that compromises my breathing pattern will have an effect on my SPO2 levels. The basic masks certainly affect my breathing to the point where I can't seem to get enough air. I find myself breathing harder and faster. I don't really want to be in a state for a six hour flight where my oxygen levels may be compromised.
However, it seems that I might be able to fly mask free. If my fellow passengers don't like it I don't see the need to explain it to them. If I didn't have this condition then I would be happy to wear a mask.
CHJ67
CHJ67
Member since 17 Apr 2017
Total posts 4
Originally Posted by tommygun
It's more than having a defense against prosecution. Airlines will not let you fly without a mask, unless exempt. VA is clear that if you have trouble breathing with a mask you can be exempt. They suggest you complete and email a Medical Clearance form, signed by your doctor, at least 72 hours prior to travel. This makes good sense, crew will know in advance and no discussion needed. See VA website. Qantas probably has a similar process.
CHJ67
CHJ67
Member since 17 Apr 2017
Total posts 4
Originally Posted by GBRGB
Just wear it until the plane takes off and then remove it down around your neck, like half the people on the plane do anyway, the flight attendants don’t say anything, I was on a flight last week, half the pax didn’t have their masks over their face.
CHJ67
CHJ67
Member since 17 Apr 2017
Total posts 4
Originally Posted by Jono777
Again, I work for VA and we can't ask for proof of exemption, so if you can't wear a mask just explain this to staff at check in.
All these people saying it's selfish, they should drive etc, get over yourselves. How many people have got seriously ill on aeroplanes? How many returned travellers have died in quarantine over the past year from COVID?
I know of doctors who have given exemptions for mild asthma, claustrophobic and anxiety. If the person feels the mask affects their overall functioning, then it's up to them.
Is it? Is that what the Health Directive says?
DiscountEconomyPleb
DiscountEconomyPleb
Member since 08 Apr 2021
Total posts 4
Originally Posted by CHJ67
Originally Posted by Jono777
Again, I work for VA and we can't ask for proof of exemption, so if you can't wear a mask just explain this to staff at check in.
All these people saying it's selfish, they should drive etc, get over yourselves. How many people have got seriously ill on aeroplanes? How many returned travellers have died in quarantine over the past year from COVID?
I know of doctors who have given exemptions for mild asthma, claustrophobic and anxiety. If the person feels the mask affects their overall functioning, then it's up to them.
Is it? Is that what the Health Directive says?
TheFreqFlyer
TheFreqFlyer
Member since 05 Oct 2017
Total posts 89
Originally Posted by CHJ67
Originally Posted by GBRGB
Just wear it until the plane takes off and then remove it down around your neck, like half the people on the plane do anyway, the flight attendants don’t say anything, I was on a flight last week, half the pax didn’t have their masks over their face.
Interesting. It looks to me like that it remains mandatory in theory, but in practice, if you remove your mask (or better yet, just wear it on your chin) no one says anything. In other words - make sure to arrive at the airport check-in counter wearing your mask, then lower it under your chin while in the transit hall. Put it back up when you board your flight, then once airborne, you can lower it again until you get off the flight. No one seems to care once you're in the arrivals hall, whether in Australia or New Zealand.
I wonder if this policy extends to Qantas' international flights? Let's say you're coming into Australia from wherever, could be Singapore, Thailand, China, the UK - is it the same policy as within Australia and New Zealand - masks not required for under 12s and a loosey goosy policy for adults (meaning you can get away with wearing it under your chin after take-off)?
Wearing a mask on a long-haul international flight is a lot more difficult than on a short-haul domestic flight.
FionaJane
FionaJane
Member since 28 Apr 2021
Total posts 1
Originally Posted by s4172249
One day back on this website and the whinging, self-entitlement and selfishness of its members has already annoyed me. I am a doctor (dual specialty in infectious diseases and acute care general medicine) and there is no way sleep apnoea or any respiratory condition should classify as a medical exemption from wearing a mask. Sleep apnoea shouldn’t even cause any issues when you’re awake, unless you have co-existing obesity hypoventilation syndrome with daytime hypoxia, and even then wearing a mask doesn’t affect your oxygen levels. If you have a respiratory condition you’d think you’d want to wear a mask all the more, as a respiratory infection (covid or not) would make you a lot more sick than the average person. My good friend from uni is a specialist respiratory physician and hasn’t ever granted a medical exemption from wearing a mask. With the rate you lot seem to think a mask is harmful, half the world’s surgeons and theatre nurses would’ve died years ago.
GoRobin
GoRobin
Member since 07 May 2020
Total posts 113
Just read the various pieces of state legislation to see what the requirements are regarding wearing masks in places including on aircraft as they fly above state territory. If is is not mandated in a piece of state legislation then you have no legal obligation. It's quite simple. But the legislation changes regularly depending upon the level of fear a premier is feeling on the day.
TheFreqFlyer
TheFreqFlyer
Member since 05 Oct 2017
Total posts 89
Originally Posted by GoRobin
Just read the various pieces of state legislation to see what the requirements are regarding wearing masks in places including on aircraft as they fly above state territory. If is is not mandated in a piece of state legislation then you have no legal obligation. It's quite simple. But the legislation changes regularly depending upon the level of fear a premier is feeling on the day.
From the legislation I've seen, it appears that all states and territories still require them at present (for individuals aged 12 and above), but enforcement isn't super strict especially once you're on the plane. This isn't the USA or pretty much any other part of the world where 2 year olds are de-planed for not having their masks above their noses for the entire flight.
Like I mentioned - it looks like if you present yourself at the check-in counter and at boarding with a mask on, that's all that seems to be needed.
In the arrivals hall, no one cares.
If I were flying domestically in Australia now, I'd walk around with a mask on my chin and never even lift it up. So far it's done the trick for me where I am now; doubtful any airline or airport official would ask me to put it up if I were travelling domestically in Australia at present.
Australia and New Zealand do appear to be quite relaxed about all this compared with the super strict authoritarianism on show elsewhere in the world.
GoRobin
GoRobin
Member since 07 May 2020
Total posts 113
@s4172249.....Surgeons and theatre staff do not wear masks to protect themselves. It's to reduce the possibility that the patient gets an infection in the operating theatre.
s4172249
s4172249
Jetstar Airways - Qantas Frequent Flyer
Member since 18 Feb 2018
Total posts 39
Originally Posted by GoRobin
@s4172249.....Surgeons and theatre staff do not wear masks to protect themselves. It's to reduce the possibility that the patient gets an infection in the operating theatre.