Mask up, don't mingle: new Qantas safety measures for passengers

I wonder if they will reduce the number of guests people can bring into lounges. That would be up to one guest less for gold and two for platinums - it could have a significant impact on lounge numbers to reduce crowding and allow social distancing.

So keep the middle seat in play but tell passengers to wear masks? Yeah, makes sense.

Common sense approach, resisted those alarmists who insisted middle seat be vacant. There is so much hysteria and misinformation out there about transmission that conclusion should be that we run all transport at half capacity. Its same problem we have with borders, I don't think any country closed its internal borders except Australia.

So we should all start living on planes because they are Covid19 free zones apparently. It also makes one ask why health departments were chasing down passengers seated in a cubed zone near Covid19 passengers on aircraft and asking them to get tested and self quarantine, doesn't sound like they think it's without risk.

Qantas is outlining a plan to minimise risk that works for their business. If you don't like it you can either chose not to fly or buy all the seats 2 rows in front 2 rows behind and the row you're in. Pretty simple really. Bottom line is no one has to fly if they don't feel comfortable.

Blocking middle seats is to a large degree a PR stunt, you can't tell me those airlines that are blocking seats won't drop that policy like a hot potato once demand starts to ramp up. All QF are doing is saying they think the risk is low, they're being upfront about it, encouraging you to wear a mask and seems quite fair to me.

If you are seriously that concerned, it's very easy don't travel.

What a sick joke are Qantas 'safety measures'. Of course their Chief Medical Officer will say whatever s/he is told too. I contracted a Novel virus H1N2 on a Qantas flight (it was not present at either departure or arrival location) , and the 'Qantas virus' is a well known phenomenon. Bring on Virgin Mk11 , for I have a family to protect and will NOT fly QF under these ridiculously risky conditioners. And BTW I have flown twice in Virgin J in May with a 1A -empty b and C -IK configuration ( ditto for Y). My State has closed borders and 6 deaths. NSW has 47 deaths , nearly half of the 100 deaths and nearly half of the cases. Thanks be there are some responsible Govts and responsible airlines.

Qantas promotes their cleaning and air filtration system as being the panacea for safe air travel. I have my doubts. Surely the real issue is sitting in a small enclosed space, in any class, and having people cough, sneeze and splutter in the immediate vicinity . Although certain individuals will undoubtedly object, every passenger must be forced by law to wear a mask on a plane to protect fellow travellers. From personal experience, the risk of catching some bug from air travel has always been very high.

Merry, I'm sure Qantas know more about 'safety measures' than you do. Sorry I do find it somewhat unbelievable that you contracted the H1N2 virus on a Qantas flight, do you have any documented proof or you just made it up. Sound like your're a Queenslander, sure live in your own cocoon, maybe you can explain to all fellow unemployed Queenslanders in the tourist industry that your aim is to eradicate the virus, not concerned about their livelihoods.

Might be a while you fly Virgin Mk11, you could ask your government to throw a few billion their way, 200M won't go far.

If you MUST fly, that is, you NEED to fly, then these are minimal precautions. I'd want to wear an aspirator (I have my own), hopefully they'd allow that too. I'd also bring on my own food and water. It's worth going an extra couple of steps if it reduces contacts with others.

This decisions is all about profit, there is no way every mask can ever be 100% effective, and the nonsence about the back of the seat being a barrier is an insult to our intelligence.

Bottom line is if you are sitting next to or in front of a coronavirus sufferer and they cough you are going to get infected.

This is exactly the same denial about cramped spaces and staying still in one place don't cause DVT lies from the airlines.

patrickk, 28 days of clear infections, so after 20 days you get an infection you start the whole 28 process again and again, virus might be eradicated by then.

The deputy medical officer Kelly said he saw no medical reason to close the borders, does it matter if an infection is in South QLD or Northern NSW, we're all Australians, I'm tired of this petty and parochial attitudes by border closures.

Problem is the Premiers think they'll get judged by the medical emergency, they're leaving the economic one to the Federal gov hence their need to stir economic activity. We'll see how the little states cope when jobkeeper ends.

I would hope and expect that the middle seats will perhaps be allocated last except for family / household groups travelling together.

If you want the middle seat open you must also want 6c and 8c vacant if you're in 7c. Oh and keep 7d vacant as well because they are only 60cm away. No one complained when the normal flu existed in planes, or the Spanish flu (yes that's still around), but a virus that's only infecting roughly 700 people on this continent now sure has a good publicist. If you don't want get sick, stay home, if you are sick then stay home.

If you're happy to get 2000kg car parked in your garage, navigate around hundreds of other drivers, some who may be inebriated in some form or just incompetent, sit in a lounge and eat from a buffett, touch your nasty phone which was probably in the restroom at some point during the day, then you don't need to stress to much about who's not wearing an unproven mask or not at least 1.5m away from you on a plane!

And the Qantas arrogance continues....the fact that the rest of the Australian community and businesses comply with Government social distancing restrictions somehow does not apply to them, they see their business as above these restrictions, as it will be “uneconomical”. What about all the other businesses out there for whom these restrictions have been very “uneconomical“, but played their part in making Australia safer for all? C-mon QF, tow the line!

So why is this a thing now ??

Until now you didnt have to wear a mask, but now that there is only 600 active cases across australia, all of a sudden its time to mask up ??

Give me a spell ....

Ive done enough long haul flights on an A380 with the seat in front virtually in my lap and climbing over people to sqeeze out to get to the toilet to wish this was an opportunity to think about a new aproach to seating. Yes bums on seats makes money but where does it end. People arent sheep so economy class is pretty sad for comfort, no problem on a 2 hour flight, a bump and grind on long haul.

I genuinely welcome the idea of no one directly beside me and would pay a bit more for the privilege. I would feel much more comfortable with Cocoon style seats like business class without the perks of business in the economy section of the plane. Someone behind you spluttering away with a cold, the flu or covid all makes me cringe as I know theres a good chance I cought it on that flight. The statement from the Qantas group chief medical director is nonsense and he should fly from time to time in economy before making stupid statements.

This is the perfect chance for a rethink on what we were all doing previously.