Qantas dangles free trips for people who have been vaccinated

[SYDNEY] Qantas Airways is considering giving free flight vouchers or air miles to people who've had Covid-19 shots, joining a growing list of businesses offering vaccination incentives to kick-start global travel.

While details haven't been finalised, fully inoculated Qantas frequent fliers might also be offered free loyalty status credits, Qantas said in a statement Friday. The program is due to run until the end of 2021, when Australia's vaccination program is expected to be mostly complete, the airline said.

As reluctance in many countries to get vaccinations threatens a recovery from the pandemic, companies with the most to gain from a global reopening are pitching in.

United Airlines Holdings is offering vaccinated frequent fliers the chance to win free flights for a year. Even dating sites including Tinder are rolling out incentives such as profile boosts for users who've been jabbed.

Australia's success in suppressing the virus hasn't been matched by its vaccination program. Only about 3.7 million people in the nation of 26 million have received their first shot, and Melbourne was ordered into lockdown for the fourth time Thursday to combat a growing cluster of cases.

The country's vaccine rollout is "the key to keeping our domestic borders open and safely restarting international travel," Qantas Chief Customer Officer Stephanie Tully said.

Qantas shares were up 2 per cent at A$4.79 (S$4.91) as of 12.45 pm in Sydney, trimming this year's decline to 1.3 per cent and valuing the airline at A$9 billion.

Hong Kong's airport authority said Wednesday it would give away 60,000 flight tickets in a lucky draw to residents and airport staff who've been vaccinated before the end of September. Uber Technologies and Lyft are offering free rides to anyone on their way to get vaccinated in the US

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