NEWS & OFFERS: Australia may open by Easter, Italy changing vaccine rules and Priority Pass improvements + up to 30% off

If you entered our recent series of giveaways, check your email and junk mail as I have just notified the winners by email!

Australia may open by Easter

Australia has been one of the most isolated countries during Covid until recently with having borders shut for most of the pandemic. Finally, there have been some glimmers of hope from Prime Minister Scott Morrison. In a recent interview, he said that the country’s reopening to international visitors won’t be “too far away” but failed to give a specific date. He said:

“Well I can’t give you a specific date yet … and that’s because we’re just watching how Omicron is sort of washing over the eastern states,” he said.

“I’d like to see us get there soon — certainly before Easter, well before Easter.”

“We’ve just got to get some medical advice further on that, a bit more work to do with the states to make sure we’re comfortable about (reopening),” 

Australia’s in a run-up to elections which may be what’s driving this sudden enthusiasm for opening up. Let’s hope that a firm date will be announced soon so people can plan ahead.

Italy changes rules on vaccine validity

From tomorrow, 1 February, Italy will require that you must have had your final vaccine within 180 days (~6months) for your vaccination certificate to be valid when visiting Italy. Obviously having the booster would solve this for a while. 

However, in better news, from the same date, random COVID testing on arrival will end. All arrivals from the UK into Sicily will need to undertake a rapid lateral flow test on arrival (administered by the local health authorities free of charge).

Yiu can find other countries that have an expiry date for vaccines or require a booster in this article. 

You can find the official FCDO advice here.

Priority Pass improvements and up to 30% off

Today, Priority Pass, has announced it has added a total of 183 airport lounges and experiences to its global network in 2021. The latest additions mean that Priority Pass has at least one experience covering 95% of all international flights from the top 100 airports, with new additions in airports worldwide, including the US, Russia and China. The brand has also focused on making more premium experiences accessible for its Members, by adding further dining, sleep and spa offerings to its network. 

As part of its dedication to growing its premium lounge network, Priority Pass added 134 new premium lounges in 2021. As part of this, through its sister company, Airport Dimensions, Priority Pass Members were also given access to a new lounge concept in partnership with VIP Ambaar Lounge brand. The  ‘Ambaar Club’ launched at Viracopos International Airport (VCP) and has since been rolled out to two further airports in Brazil this year with more to come.

Priority Pass also introduced 49 new experiences in 2021. These include Sleeping Pods at airports including Moscow Sheremetyevo, New York La Guardia and Bahrain International; nine new spas, including in destinations such as Istanbul, Lagos and Dallas; and even a brand new gaming experience at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Further premium dining experiences were added too.

Be Relax also joined the Priority Pass network, offering Members the opportunity for a relaxing spa experience before or after their flight. With numerous locations across the US and around the world, Be Relax offers a large range of wellness services, including chair massages, loungers, and aromatherapy. Priority Pass Members can visit Be Relax locations at San Diego International Airport (SAN), Detroit Metropolitan Wayne Airport (DTW), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Dallas International Airport (DFW), and New York Airport (JFK and La Guardia), with more locations coming soon to the network. I have often used these facilities to kill time in US airports and generally, they are pretty good. They are not cheap but you can choose your treatments in 10-minute blocks which is handy. There is also a BE Relax at Heathrow T5 but it’s not part of the Priority Pass system yet. It’s good to see that I would be able to use it for free next time I am in an airport that has one in the scheme. 

Last year the company launched a new ‘Ready 2 Order’ food and beverage system in recognition of the challenges traditional Food & Beverage (F&B) models in lounges faced as a result of COVID-19 restrictions. The solution meant a number of lounges were able to protect the provision of F&B for guests, whilst ensuring all Members and lounge staff could stay safe via a contactless ordering process. 

There is a new offer for up to 30% off a Priority Pass membership. The discounts are:

• Standard Membership: 30% off
• Standard Plus Membership: 25% off
• Prestige Membership: 15% off

The best offer is the Standard Plus if you will use the 10 visits as it’s much cheaper than having a Platinum Amex. It works out at £24 a visit which is not not great but cheaper compared to buying lounge access directly in most cases.

If you will use less, it’s worth considering a Gold Amex as that gives you two lounge visits and is free for the first year. When you get to Prestige level it’s also worth considering the Platinum Amex if you would get value out of the £575 fee! If you use a lot of the offers it usually works out better to get the Platinum if you qualify. 

You can find the special offer page here.