Qantas cabin crew kept home as flu precaution
SYDNEY – Qantas has quarantined about 20 flight attendants who came into direct contact with swine-flu victims.
The Melbourne Age newspaper reports that the cabin crew are in quarantine after working on a series of flights with passengers who had tested positive to the potentially deadly H1N1 virus.
A Qantas spokeswoman said health authorities had made the request as a “precautionary measure”, but there were no confirmed cases of the flu among staff.
Qantas low-cost sibling Jetstar will cancel 31 of its Japan flights – almost one-third – next month due to “significant softening” of passenger loads amid swine flu fears.
The airline operates 21 flights per week to Japan and has warned more cutbacks may follow if conditions don’t improve.
“Initially, we were seeing a lot of school group cancellations but it is now transferring through to Japanese nationals of any background or persuasion,” Jetstar spokesman Simon Westaway told The Australian.
Tourism chiefs are continuing to call for calm, saying the swine flu outbreak should be kept in perspective.
Australian Tourism Export Council managing director Matthew Hingerty said, “I’m becoming increasingly alarmed over the hysteria over the swine flu business.
“My members are rapidly losing business as a result of an overreaction and I appeal to our political leaders and media commentators to keep this in perspective.”
He said no one had died from swine flu in Australia yet, however more than 3,000 Australians die from influenza every year.
Ian Jarrett
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
TAP Air Portugal to operate 29 flights due to strike on December 11
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airbnb eyes a loyalty program but details remain under wraps
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season
Major rail disruptions around and in Berlin until early 2026