COVID-19: Virgin Australia cabin crew member tests positive – affected flights

Virgin Australia has confirmed that an infected cabin crew member worked on 5 flights over 2 days – 25 & 26 June, and overnighted, isolated in Melbourne on 25 June 2021, staying at the Holiday Inn Express Southbank.

‘The affected crew member is a close contact of a positive COVID-19 case from a known cluster in Sydney. Virgin Australia understands the crew member was not aware they were a close contact of a positive case until after they completed their last flight today.’ (26 June)

From Virgin Australia Press Release

Virgin Australia is taking all the appropriate action, identifying and isolating cabin crew contacts, and taking them off the roster. It is also cooperating with state and other health authorities providing manifests and QR code information to assist in tracing.

Affected Flights:

25 June 2021

• VA939 Sydney-Brisbane
• VA334 Brisbane-Melbourne

26 June 2021

• VA827 Melbourne-Sydney
• VA517 Sydney-Gold Coast
• VA524 Gold Coast-Sydney  

If you were on these flights

Expect to be contacted by health authorities on the correct protocol. If in doubt, contact your local health authority. Here is a list of state health websites for advice and contact numbers.

• Australian Capital Territory
• New South Wales
• Northern Territory
• Queensland
• South Australia
• Tasmania
• Victoria
• Western Australia

Best behaviour

The crew member work a face mask while onboard during interactions with the public, so the hope is that any potential transmission was reduced, but given the virulence of the Delta strain – who knows.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is another timely reminder to wear your seatbelt when seated. Holding you close to your seat will protect you from the sort of injuries sustained on this flight, when unsecured passengers flew to the ceiling of the aircraft, and then came crashing down once the ‘drop’ ceased.

The hope will be that this is an anomaly – a ‘freak accident’ in casual parlance. If it is a systemic error either mechanical or electronic, then this is a larger concern for the airlines that fly Boeing Dreamliner 787 aircraft. Let’s hope it isn’t. If it is, it will pile on the woes to Boeing’s existing stack.

Lets hope that the mask wearing by passengers through-out the travel process has also helped reduce the possibility of transmission.