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.

International departures at Sydney Airport T1

Podcast #71: NSW Ends Quarantine

This week, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet made a huge announcement that Australians will finally be allowed to leave the country – and return without quarantine – from 1 November 2021. That’s just over two weeks away! There are some conditions. For example, Australians will need to be fully vaccinated, will need a negative COVID-19 test … Continued

AFF on AIR podcast artwork

NSW Ends Quarantine – AIR071

  Yesterday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced some big news: From 1 November 2021, vaccinated Australians will finally be allowed to leave the country, and return from overseas into NSW without having to quarantine. There’s a lot to unpack from this announcement. Joining Matt to do so on this episode of AFF on AIR is … Continued

Alitalia is shutting down

Velocity Formally Ends Alitalia Partnership

Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program has finally confirmed that it is ending its long-standing partnership with Alitalia, a day after the former Italian flag carrier operated its last flight. Alitalia has been replaced by a new airline called ITA, which stands for Italia Trasporto Aereo. ITA will be fully owned by the Italian government … Continued

SQ Singapore A350

Singapore Airlines to Operate Repatriation Flights to Darwin

Singapore Airlines will operate two commercial repatriation flights to Darwin next month for returning Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members. The Singapore Airlines flights will fly from Singapore to Darwin on 2 and 8 November 2021. All passengers will be required to quarantine at Howard Springs for 14 days after arrival. While New … Continued

Sydney

NSW Scraps Quarantine for Vaccinated Australians

New South Wales will reopen its border to vaccinated Australians returning from overseas from 1 November 2021, who will no longer have to quarantine on arrival – neither at a hotel, nor at home. Fully vaccinated Australians will also be allowed to travel overseas from anywhere in Australia from 1 November, without having to apply … Continued

Air Canada Dreamliner Premium Economy cabin

Too Many Airline Award Charts Ignore Premium Economy

Many airlines have introduced Premium Economy Class over the past decade. Even the major US carriers and Emirates, which initially resisted the trend, are now retrofitting Premium Economy seats onto their long-haul planes. But so many frequent flyer programs haven’t caught up yet. Of the frequent flyer programs that still have award charts, most display … Continued

Singapore

Singapore Expands Vaccinated Travel Lanes, But Not to Australia

Singapore will open “Vaccinated Travel Lanes” (VTL) with nine more countries from next week, following the successful launch of a travel bubble with Germany last month. It’s great news for travellers in eligible countries. Unfortunately, Australia didn’t make the list. In fact, the new VTL arrangements could make it harder for Australians to return home … Continued

Bonza Boeing 737 MAX

Bonza: Australia’s Next Low-Cost Airline

A new start-up airline is planning to launch low-cost flights to leisure and regional destinations across Australia from next year. Bonza, as the airline has been named, doesn’t plan to compete directly with Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin and Rex on routes with lots of business travellers. Flying a small fleet of new, single-class Boeing 737-8 aircraft … Continued

Virgin Australia 737 takeoff

Virgin Launches 6 New Routes, Brings Forward Fiji

Virgin Australia has been on a new route blitz, announcing six new domestic routes over recent days and bringing forward its planned restart of flights to Fiji. New Virgin flights to Coffs Harbour Last week, Virgin announced it would resume up to double-daily flights from Sydney to Coffs Harbour from 11 November 2021, as NSW … Continued