Seamless travel across the Tasman - Qantas starts paperless arrival for flights

Qantas is piloting a digital entry system for Kiwis flying to Australia. Photo / File

Qantas has rolled out a fast-track arrival process for New Zealand passengers crossing the Tasman, initially to Brisbane.

Qantas is the first to pilot the Australia Digital Travel Declaration (ATD), a digital replacement for the current paper incoming passenger card.

As part of a joint initiative with the Australian Government, the ATD is now available for eligible passengers travelling from Auckland to Brisbane (initially on flight QF126) and the programme will be expanded to include customers travelling from other New Zealand cities to Brisbane in the coming days.

Additional Australian destinations will join the programme early next year.

Passengers will have three days to fill out the digital form at a time and place that suits them.

Upon completion, customers will receive a QR code (via email and in the Qantas app) that can be shown to Australian Border Force officers, instead of the paper card.

The ATD pilot programme is currently available to adult customers travelling on a single booking, with the program set to expand to bookings with children and groups by mid-next year.

Customers who prefer to use the existing paper card can continue to do so.

New Zealand already has a digital arrival card.

Earlier this year Flight Centre’s general manager of corporate traveller New Zealand, Angie Forsyth, said the digital scheme in Australia was welcome.

“Digital declaration has been in place in New Zealand for about a year now and our customers have told us that it makes getting through the airport once returning home a more seamless experience.”

Australia is the most popular destination for corporate clients, especially for those in the manufacturing and construction industries.

The Board of Air Line Representatives was also encouraged to see that Australia was moving forward with digital arrival cards, when announced in August.

A Tasman Seamless Travel Group is continues to discuss further short- and long-term initiatives to make transtasman flights easier.

It was established last year to deliver on the Australian and New Zealand prime ministers’ commitment to explore ways to move closer to seamless travel between the two countries.

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