AUSTRALIANS can expect to be in and out of New Zealand airports within eight minutes under a new trans-Tasman agreement to improve customs processing.
Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and his New Zealand counterpart John Key agreed on Thursday to a joint plan that ultimately aims to increase airline travel between the two countries.
VHSMM From Australia, joined Jul 2008, 131 posts, RR: 0 Reply 1, posted (3 years 9 months 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 1864 times:
Everything old is new again.
My first overseas trip was to New Zealand way back in January 1977 - (QF 747-238 SYD to AKL and QF 707-338 CHC to SYD)
I am 99 per cent sure that we didn't need a passport to travel trans-Tasman back then. Although I was only a very young child at the time, so my memory may be failing.
DJ748 From Australia, joined Jul 2006, 355 posts, RR: 0 Reply 2, posted (3 years 9 months 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 1844 times:
Quoting VHSMM (Reply 1): I am 99 per cent sure that we didn't need a passport to travel trans-Tasman back then. Although I was only a very young child at the time, so my memory may be failing.
You are correct there - I remember people telling me you at one point didn't need a passport to travel between the 2 countries. I'm not sure when you started needing a passport though. Last Sunday I booked myself a trip to New Zealand, and for my BNE-AKL flight, NZ asked for my passport details, but when booking my CHC-BNE flight on Pacific Blue, it wasn't even asked for.
Along those lines, of what Slats as raised, I've seen various other articles, and they've mentioned that at the moment the process is being streamlined, and John Key, the NZ Prime Minister is wanting to get the flights classed as domestic within 10 years.
That raises the issue of the likes of Emirates and Royal Brunei who have rights to fly across the Tasman (we all know about EK, but BI have rights for BNE-AKL-BNE). Will EK and BI still have those rights, or would they be withdrawn?
NZ107 From New Zealand, joined Jul 2005, 5672 posts, RR: 40 Reply 3, posted (3 years 9 months 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 1841 times:
Quoting DJ748 (Reply 2): Last Sunday I booked myself a trip to New Zealand, and for my BNE-AKL flight, NZ asked for my passport details, but when booking my CHC-BNE flight on Pacific Blue, it wasn't even asked for.
I believe the passport number asking is just something to speed up some process, possibly the check in process so all the agent needs to do is confirm the passport number rather than type it in.
QF744FAN From Australia, joined Jan 2007, 116 posts, RR: 0 Reply 5, posted (3 years 9 months 2 days 3 hours ago) and read 1782 times:
This has been on the cards for a while. I recall hearing/reading that Australia's quarantine laws are stricter than NZ's (nothing against New Zealand here, just that our border people are noticeably militant as far as pests etc go), so agreements had to be reached there.
It's got to be a good thing really. Cultures are similar, and there's Kiwis everywhere in Oz, and vice versa. The reduced taxes etc can only add more passengers to an already high demand market. Good for the economies of both countries.
Gemuser From Australia, joined Nov 2003, 5216 posts, RR: 6 Reply 6, posted (3 years 9 months 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 1769 times:
Quoting QF744FAN (Reply 5): I recall hearing/reading that Australia's quarantine laws are stricter than NZ's (nothing against New Zealand here, just that our border people are noticeably militant as far as pests etc go
I don't know about that! MAF & DOC in NZ are pretty fearsome, at least as bad as AQIS!
QF744FAN From Australia, joined Jan 2007, 116 posts, RR: 0 Reply 7, posted (3 years 9 months 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 1750 times:
Again, didn't mean anything by it, every time I go to NZ I get searched lol. Perhaps it's in regards to simple things such as groceries which you can often take domestically in Aus???
Not claiming to be an expert, just what I heard. Would love more details
USAirALB From United States of America, joined Sep 2007, 2680 posts, RR: 1 Reply 8, posted (3 years 9 months 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 1748 times:
So..let me get this straight, this act will make it like the US and CA before the stupid "Lets Get You Home" Act and the Western. Hemisphere. Travel. Initiative. (W.H.I.T.)
QF744FAN From Australia, joined Jan 2007, 116 posts, RR: 0 Reply 9, posted (3 years 9 months 2 days 2 hours ago) and read 1728 times:
Pretty much. NZ was already effectively the 7th state of Australia (they call us the West Island). Nationals of both countries can work without visas in the other, and lots of east coast companies have offices in both countries. So again, great that the red tape is being removed
Gemuser From Australia, joined Nov 2003, 5216 posts, RR: 6 Reply 10, posted (3 years 9 months 1 day 23 hours ago) and read 1626 times:
Quoting USAirALB (Reply 8): So..let me get this straight, this act will make it like the US and CA before the stupid "Lets Get You Home" Act and the Western. Hemisphere. Travel. Initiative. (W.H.I.T.)
We don't know thew details yet, so who knows? There are many questions and details still to be answered, at least publicly. Hope it's as easy as Schengen!
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