MIQueue: Why securing a spot in MIQ doesn't guarantee a homecoming

Thursday, 30 September 2021

New Zealand's virtual lobby was seen as a fairer way to allow New Zealanders home. It had its detractors (Video first published in September 2021).

The struggle is not over for some Kiwis who managed to get a spot through the MIQ lottery, as they scramble to find flights that match their quarantine dates.

The frontline in New Zealand’s battle against Covid-19 has been at the borders, where entrants have to go through two weeks of managed isolation and quarantine (MIQ) after arriving.

Spots in MIQ have been tough to secure at the best of times and the latest cases of Delta variant community transmission resulted in an effective block of our borders.

The Government’s recent introduction of the “virtual lobby” was supposed to make the process fairer, by using a lottery system. But the first two rounds of the new system have exposed further issues.

**READ MORE:

Craig Jull, with his daughter, when both were in Argentina. They haven't seen one another since January.

* Nine-year-old Kiwi 10,000km away from dad, with no end in sight

* Kiwis rushing home for Christmas or just far fewer December rooms available?

* Air New Zealand's Australian quarantine flights sell out in three minutes

* November and December MIQ spots gone in 67 minutes, thousands miss out

Craig Jull managed to book an MIQ spot to bring his his 9-year-old daughter, Sofia, over from Argentina. But he can't get flights that match up with the slot he was able to lock in during Tuesday’s round.

Jull has now been forced to give up his MIQ spot, as the only flights he could find cost $12,000, meant flying around the world for four days, and there was still no guarantee he would arrive in New Zealand on November 10.

Australia is struggling with its international passenger cap, but at least those who manage to secure a flight are automatically allocated an MIQ room.

He said he logged into the lobby system knowing his chances of getting a slot were slim, but when he was placed 3200 in the queue he thought he might be one of the lucky ones.

Now the opportunity to see Sofia has slipped away.

This booking disconnect is one of the many unintended consequences of the system, and it seems to be unique to New Zealand.

In Australia, everyone who secures a flight is automatically put into a border quarantine facility – either a hotel or an apartment.

Sydney-based general manager of Spencer Travel, Tina Killeen, said the Australian system worked well.

“If you’re able to get on a flight, you’ve got a bed.”

When passengers arrive off the plane they are tested, passports checked, and then ushered onto a bus and into a hotel room. There is no need to book an MIQ spot, or go into a quarantine lottery.

But Australia’s system isn’t without issues, due to the Government's international flight cap.

The country’s international passenger intake is 2285 a week.

And the international airlines still operating are flying in with thousands of empty seats.

The two-tier MIQ booking system is adding to the roadblocks and anxiety faced by Kiwis trying to get home.

The severe cap was introduced in July, halving the number of people allowed into the country each week.

This means the struggle for a returnee spot happens when people book flights, rather than when they are trying to secure an MIQ spot.

In New South Wales, the cap has moved from 3000 a week to 750.

Killeen said the upside of the Australian system was if flights did become available, people could book them, and be at an international airport within hours. There was no need to then book an MIQ spot.

Travel agents were advising New Zealand clients to do the exact opposite.

This two-tier process has caught out people like Jull.

Brent Thomas, chief operating officer at House of Travel and president of the Travel Agents Association of New Zealand (TAANZ), says the travel industry has all the tools to help fix this system issue.

There are also reports of some Kiwis booking flights ahead of getting an MIQ spot. Those who missed out aren’t always releasing the flights immediately, meaning those who did secure a spot before booking a flight are then unable to get a seat on a plane.

Travel agents say the alignment of passenger numbers and MIQ spots provides more certainty.

Beyond that, there is a clear plan for lifting the passenger cap. In the case of New South Wales, the state has set a target of 90 per cent vaccination coverage. More broadly, there are plans for opening interstate borders and international borders, which are also tied to vaccination rates.

Travel Agents Association of NZ (TAANZ) president Brent Thomas said New Zealand’s MIQ booking system was “incredibly frustrating and very emotional”.

“The lobby system is a lolly scramble without enough lollies,” Thomas said.

When it opened on September 20 for the first time, 3200 MIQ rooms for the remainder of 2021 were up for grabs. The queue peaked at 31,800.

In the second installment, which took place on Tuesday, all October, November and December slots were filled within hours as 31,319 people vied for the 3718 spots. About 6231 people were successful in securing a booking.

The next release of rooms is set for October 5.

Similar to the last release, December was again the most popular month and all the available rooms for that month were taken within 48 minutes. The majority of lucky Kiwis were in Australia, with 1629 snapping up a voucher, followed by 791 passengers in the UK.

The change to the lobby system may have dealt with the issue of bots booking spots, but it now appears to be equally unfair for everyone.

Thomas said New Zealand needed a clear pathway for border reopening. Not only would this give certainty to Kiwis needing to travel, but it might relieve some demand – if people knew when restrictions were easing, they might wait for the option of self-isolation.

In the meantime, TAANZ is lobbying the Government – through Business NZ – to create a new system run by travel agents.

Thomas said they had the systems and decades of experience to book flights and MIQ spots simultaneously, if given access to the booking system.

The industry could quickly stand up the new process, they just needed the green light, he said.

“[The Government is] willing to take health advice on one side … here we’ve got an absolute process that needs to be amended, but they’re not listening to the experts.”

Without clarity when the borders will reopen, or changes to the booking system, people like Jull continue to face anxiety and disappointment in trying to reconnect with family and loved ones.

Jull spent the allotted 48 hours trying to figure out a way to marry up flights and his MIQ spot. He spent hours searching online and working with a travel agent, with no luck.

“It looks like I will not get to see my daughter this year,” he said.