Author: Matt Graham
Matt Graham
The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to more than 100 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course! Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. His interests include aviation, economics & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine. You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.
Podcast #76: Is Overseas Travel in 2022 Really That Scary?
Australia’s international border officially reopened in November 2021. But with COVID-19 still sweeping across the world, overseas travel is still risky. It’s also a lot more expensive than normal with fewer flights available, more cancellations and multiple COVID tests required to cross borders. And that was before Omicron. Even though many Australians are keen to … Continued
Is Overseas Travel in 2022 Really That Scary? – AIR076
Although many Australians would like to travel overseas over the coming year, many are holding off for now. That’s totally understandable – there are still so many unknowns and risks involved with overseas travel in 2022. But is it really that scary out there? For those who’ve been stuck inside Australia for the past two … Continued
Qantas to Drop Medical Clearance Form for Past COVID Cases
Qantas will remove the requirement for passengers with a previous COVID-19 infection who are still testing positive on their pre-departure PCR test to submit a medical clearance form 7 days before flying. This policy is expected to change as soon as next week, which will come as a huge relief to the many Australians who’ve … Continued
World of Hyatt Didn’t Extend Status Into 2022
Update: After we published this story, World of Hyatt has emailed “selected” members to offer them a status extension for another year with status now valid until February 2023. It is not clear which members are being offered this extension and it is not available to everyone. Over the past few months, almost every major … Continued
Europe Doesn’t Recognise Australian Vaccination Certificates
In October 2021, the Australian government started issuing International COVID-19 Vaccination Certificates. The government’s Smartraveller website describes these as a “free and secure way to prove your COVID-19 vaccination history when you travel across borders overseas”. There’s just one problem – many other countries don’t recognise it. Generally, most other countries will accept an Australian … Continued
Resolved: British Airways Flights Not Crediting to Partner Programs
A widespread problem causing frequent flyers of multiple airlines to miss out on points & status credits for British Airways flights taken over the past two months has now been resolved. Many Qantas Frequent Flyer members had complained that they had not received any points or status credits for British Airways flights taken since November … Continued
Free Qantas Seat Selection (With a Catch)
All Qantas Frequent Flyer members can now select a seat for free when booking any Qantas domestic or international flight departing from Australia – but only when booking directly on Qantas.com. Until recently, Qantas charged a fee for standard seat selection when booking an international Economy Sale fare. This charge ranged from $15 for a … Continued
Stuck in Fiji: The Big Risk of Omicron Travel
Travelling overseas in early 2022 is nothing like it was just a few years ago. Australia’s international border has partially reopened, but there are unfortunately still some huge risks involved with jetting off abroad. Constantly changing testing requirements, border rules and flight cancellations are all parts of the problem. But perhaps the biggest risk is … Continued
Singapore Airlines Pauses Expiration of KrisFlyer Miles Until 2023
Singapore Airlines has given KrisFlyer members another lifeline, pausing the expiration of KrisFlyer miles until at least January 2023. Normally, unused Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles expire after three years regardless of your account activity. But with many KrisFlyer members grounded during the pandemic, Singapore Airlines has been progressively extending the validity of miles since April … Continued