Passengers on some flights have been the first to enter Australia without having to fill out the dreaded incoming passenger card.
Passengers flying in from New Zealand tried a new “fast-tracked arrival process” by using the new Digital Travel Declaration (ATD) as part of a joint initiative with the Australian government.
Qantas is the first to test the scheme, initially for passengers flying from Auckland to Brisbane on flight QF126.
READ MORE: Cash-strapped Bruce Lehrmann to learn if appeal over defamation loss can go ahead
It will soon be expanded for passengers flying from other New Zealand cities to Brisbane.
Other Australian cities and some international destinations are set to be included “in the coming months”, Qantas said.
READ MORE: Hundreds of Qantas engineers hold snap strike amid pay dispute
Travellers can fill out the form on the Qantas app 72 hours before they fly.
They will then get a QR code to show to Australian Border Force officers instead of the paper card.
However, customers who prefer to use the existing paper incoming passenger card can continue to do so.
READ MORE: A$AP Rocky to go to trial next year on charges he fired a gun at a former friend
The airline’s chief customer and digital officer Catriona Larritt said it will make travel easier.
“The paperless declaration means no more trying to find a pen and your flight details midway through your flight,” she said.
“Passengers will have three days to fill out the digital form at a time and place that suits them.”
links to content on ABC
9News
