Flights, tests etc. and what the current situation regarding hunting in South Africa is

[Matt Perchick]

My Emirates flights for August are still a go thus far.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Update: Seems like Qatar will be restarting on the 12th:

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Source: https://thepointsguy.com/news/american-airlines-jfk-doha-route/

While American Airlines has been forced to scale back a chunk of its international flying next summer, there’s a silver lining.

The Fort Worth-based carrier is adding a new pin to its route map next year: Doha, Qatar (DOH). American announced on Thursday that it would launch flights to Doha beginning on June 4, 2022, with daily nonstop service from New York-JFK.

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American will deploy its flagship aircraft, a Boeing 777-300ER, on the route, which features eight Flagship First pods, 52 Flagship Business seats, 28 premium economy recliners and 216 coach seats. The flight will go on sale on Sunday, Dec.12.

On paper, the new route makes a lot of sense: fellow Oneworld member Qatar Airways operates a mega-hub in Doha, which will allow American to offer plenty of onward connectivity to Africa, India and the Middle East.

American’s new 6,704-mile JFK-Doha route (Map courtesy of Cirium)
Plus, with the FIFA World Cup taking place in Doha next winter, American will likely have some traffic terminating in this Gulf nation too.

Meanwhile, in New York, the flight will be buoyed by the airline’s Northeast Alliance with JetBlue, with the airline tapping into JetBlue’s robust network from JFK for additional domestic connectivity beyond the New York City area. For American, the new Doha flight joins recently launched long-haul service from New York to Athens (ATH), New Delhi (DEL), Santiago (SCL) and Tel Aviv (TLV).

While everything checks out on paper, it’s the backstory that’s perhaps most interesting. In fact, by launching Doha flights, American is making good on a promise it made in the weeks before the pandemic started.

Related: American cuts 5 international markets, including its longest flight, due to delayed Dreamliners

But first, some context.

In 2017, American terminated its codeshare pact with Qatar, a move that came amid a broader subsidies dispute between the big three U.S. airlines – Delta, American and United – and the three big Middle East carriers: Qatar Airways and Emirates and Etihad of the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. carriers contended that their Gulf rivals benefitted from unfair subsidies, something the latter side disputed.

The spat between American and Qatar continued for a few years, despite diplomatic agreements in 2018 between the U.S. and both Qatar and the UAE to settle the dispute regarding subsidies and U.S. flights. American was particularly rankled that Qatar had invested in now-defunct Air Italy. It contended that the investment was a way for Qatar to circumvent the spirit of the 2018 deal by benefitting from new U.S. to Europe routes.

It wouldn’t be until early 2020 that American upgraded its relationship status with Qatar, going from antagonist to partner.

In February 2020, the carrier announced a renewed codeshare and “strategic partnership” with the Doha-based airlines, with American CEO Doug Parker saying that “the issues that led to the suspension of our partnership two years ago have been addressed, and we believe resuming our codeshare agreement will allow us to provide service to markets that our customers, team members and shareholders value, including new growth opportunities for American Airlines.”

At the time, Vasu Raja, American’s chief revenue officer, said that “we’re keen to add a flight to Doha,” but added that it “wouldn’t start any sooner than 2021.” Now, despite the pandemic, American is making good on that promise.

American will be the only U.S. carrier serving the Gulf when its new Doha flight launches in June.

While some top-tier elites will prefer flying American for upgrade opportunities, most travelers will experience a more refined inflight experience with Qatar, which offers up to three daily flights between New York and Doha.

The airline’s award-winning Qsuite business class and tastefully appointed coach cabins are among the best in the sky. Plus, with tasty meals and robust entertainment options, many might find the 14-hour flight to be more enjoyable on Qatar.

Either way, more options are better than none, so American’s new long-haul flight is a sliver of good news amid a broader network pulldown.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Some encouraging news: Source: https://www.news24.com/fin24/compan...k-travel-red-list-as-soon-as-tuesday-20211214

The UK is poised to announce as soon as Tuesday the removal of all 11 countries from its so-called Covid-19 red list, ending mandatory hotel quarantine for travellers arriving from the riskiest countries.

Ministers believe the move is logical given the number of omicron cases in the UK are doubling every two to three days, a person familiar with the matter said. Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new variant would account for the majority of cases in London by Tuesday.


South Africa and nine other nations were placed on the red list last month, followed by Nigeria last week. It means Britons already in those countries must quarantine in designated hotels for 10 days on their return to the UK - at a cost of R50 500 per person or R67 200 per couple.

It also means that people in red-list nations who don’t have UK residency rights are banned from coming to Britain. The change in policy is expected to end that ban, with all arrivals from those countries likely to be told to isolate at their own accommodation rather than in government-approved hotels.


Johnson told a Downing Street press conference last week the government would review travel restrictions "given the way omicron’s now seeded around the world, and not just in red-listed countries."

Health Secretary Sajid Javid also hinted at the move last week, telling Parliament: "Very soon, in the days and weeks that lie ahead, if, as I think is likely, we see many more infections and this variant becomes the dominant variant, there will be less need to have any kind of travel restrictions at all."


South African President Cyril Ramaphosa was among those who criticised the bans, saying the restrictions defied scientific logic. United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres branded the rules "travel apartheid."

Johnson’s government faced anger from travellers who were not only hit with large bills but also struggled to book hotel rooms on the government system, amid accusations ministers had failed to prepare for the policy.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

If you are fully vaccinated, you won't need any tests to enter South Africa.

 

[PeteG]

If you are fully vaccinated, you won't need any tests to enter South Africa.

This is good news.
I am looking forward to not being stabbed in the nose every few weeks.


Has there been any clarification on whether a booster is part of the requirement of being fully vaccinated?

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

This is good news.
I am looking forward to not being stabbed in the nose every few weeks.


Has there been any clarification on whether a booster is part of the requirement of being fully vaccinated?

Pete, this will entirely depend on the destination country, so one will need to read up on that depending on where you are heading to. I have noticed goal posts being moved on what a country considers "Fully Vaccinated."
I just did a quick search for South Africa and it seems that a double dose of the Pfizer jab with no booster is still considered "Fully Vaccinated" here.

 

[KMG Hunting Safaris]

Here is a great website for requirements from and to any country:

Travel News | Travel News

The latest travel updates from airlines, border restrictions, hotels and transport in response to the COVID-19 travel restrictions.

www.fctgtravelnews.com