US proposes mandatory social-media disclosure for Visa-Waiver travellers, including Australians
Opposition floats tough “Australian values” test and lower migrant intake
Qantas A380 grounded in Los Angeles after wing-slat failure on first return flight
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Virgin Australia revives direct Sydney–Darwin service, boosting Top End connectivity
Virgin Australia will restart Sydney–Darwin flights next June with up to seven weekly rotations, adding 80,000 seats and giving business and leisure travellers faster access to the Northern Territory. The move heightens competition on a strategically important domestic corridor.
Jetstar launches ‘Early Easter’ mega-sale with $149 trans-Tasman and $38 domestic fares
Jetstar’s flash ‘Early Easter Sale’ puts 115,000 seats on the market at ultra-low prices—$38 domestically and from $149 internationally—covering travel through most of 2026. While aimed at leisure, the sale can offer businesses cheap positioning flights, though conditions remain inflexible.
Air Transat strike averted as pilots clinch last-minute deal—good news for Australian ski holidaymakers
Air Transat’s tentative labour deal averts a pilots’ strike that would have disrupted routes popular with Australian leisure and conference travellers via Canada and the US. Normal operations are resuming, but stakeholders should watch the ratification vote and keep contingency plans in place.
Temporary-visa population hits record 2.9 million, fuelling calls to overhaul Australia’s migration system
New data show 2.9 million temporary-visa holders—10 % of Australia’s population—are now in the country, up 70 % on 2019 levels. A record 402,000 people are on bridging visas, overwhelming appeals tribunals and intensifying pressure for structural reform. Business and universities fear workforce gaps if processing slows, while critics say the ballooning numbers risk creating a permanent under-class. The figures guarantee that visa policy will loom large in 2026’s federal election.
DFAT reiterates high-caution travel advisory for Thailand after security review
DFAT updated its Smartraveller page on 9 December 2025, keeping Thailand at “exercise a high degree of caution” but stressing heightened terrorism risks in tourist hotspots and reiterating strict ‘do-not-travel’ zones along the Cambodian border. Companies should review duty-of-care measures for staff trips over the holiday period, while leisure travellers are urged to follow local advice and register their presence.