Australia is set to cut out the most annoying aspect of flying to the country
The days when jet-lagged travellers to Australia desperately searched for a pen to fill out their orange card are almost over.
A new pilot program for a digital passenger card was announced on Friday in what is being hailed as a major victory for the tourism sector.
Tourism & Transport Forum Executive Director Margy Osmond said replacing the outdated paper maps with a digital Australia Travel Declaration was a fantastic first step towards making travel around Tasmania more efficient.
“Finally, passengers landing in Australia will no longer have to fill out a paper arrival card with a pen. Paper cards are a relic of the past and we can do much better in the digital age,” Ms Osmond said.
‘These reforms will create a better airport experience for travellers upon arrival, while prioritising border security through a more modern and efficient process, as we have long advocated.’
The pilot program will initially target Qantas passengers arriving from New Zealand and will launch later this year.
But Ms Osmond said it was expected this would happen at other airlines too.
The pilot is an initiative of the Trans-Tasman Seamless Travel Group, which was established last year to deliver on a pledge by the Prime Ministers of Australia and New Zealand to explore ways to enable seamless travel between the two countries.
The days of jet-lagged travellers heading to Australia and desperately searching for a pen to fill out an orange card are almost over (file photo)
The pilot program was announced after New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Anthony Albanese met in Canberra
The pilot program was announced after New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and Anthony Albanese met in Canberra for their annual leaders’ meeting.
‘We discussed the report on promoting seamless travel, which reconnects our personal contacts and of course our economic ties.
“Today’s announcement is the culmination of TTF’s continued efforts on behalf of the industry and the impressive determination of government agencies on both sides of the ditch to implement critical border reforms,” she said.
‘The Trans-Tasman Seamless Travel Group will continue to meet to discuss further initiatives to improve the passenger experience for Trans-Tasman travellers, using technology to make travel faster and easier and attract more visitors to our shores.’
‘We remain strongly committed to working with our partners in New Zealand and advocating for further reforms to deliver seamless travel, revolutionising the passenger experience for the benefit of the entire industry.’
