Author: Matt Graham
Farewell to the Queen of the Skies – AIR041
This week, Australia said farewell to a national icon: the Qantas Boeing 747. Over the past 49 years, Qantas – once an all-747 airline – has operated almost every Boeing 747 variant that has existed. The “queen of the skies” has transported millions of passengers to destinations all over the world, including Olympic athletes … Continued
Many Fuel Surcharges Remain Excessive Despite Low Oil Prices
Fuel surcharges have long been a pet hate of frequent flyers. They add to the cost of frequent flyer redemption tickets, and in extreme cases, can be even higher than the cost of a regular ticket on the same flight! With worldwide oil prices now at record lows, and airlines desperate to fill seats, a … Continued
Amex Launches “Plan It” as Qantas Partners with Afterpay
With Australia in the midst of a financial crisis, “buy now, pay later” services have become increasingly popular lately. It’s already prompted Afterpay to start offering Qantas Frequent Flyer points. And now, American Express is launching a new “Plan It” feature for its own cardholders. Amex launches “Plan It” payment instalments American Express card holders in … Continued
Triple Status Credit Offers Have Begun
It is widely anticipated that airlines will be doing everything they can to lure back customers in the coming period, as travel recovers from the COVID-19 shutdown. Cheap airfares, loyalty programs and special promotions will form a large part of that. Last month, we already saw a “triple frequent flyer points” offer from Qantas. It … Continued
It’s Getting Progressively Harder to Return to Australia
It’s now been four months since the Australian government closed its border to non-Australian citizens and residents, and banned Aussies from leaving their own country without special permission. Shortly after, the federal government introduced mandatory hotel quarantine upon arrival into Australia. Ever since March, flight cancellations and border restrictions – not just in Australia – … Continued
Velocity Reinstates More Reward Flights, Upgrades
Velocity Frequent Flyer has reinstated reward seats on 19 more non-stop Virgin Australia domestic routes. That’s around double the previous number. Plus, in even better news, Velocity points can now be redeemed for travel any time – effective immediately. Velocity points can also be redeemed once again for flight upgrades, hotel bookings and, shortly, car … Continued
Is it Illegal to “Souvenir” Airline Safety Cards?
Some frequent flyers like to collect things like boarding passes, airline amenity kits, business class pyjamas or in-flight magazines. But is it legal to collect the safety instruction cards found in aircraft seat pockets? Last week, Qantas operated three Boeing 747 joy flights before the “queen of the skies” is retired for good. Passengers on … Continued
Qantas Frequent Flyer Should Ditch the $99.50 Joining Fee
The past few months have demonstrated the importance to airlines of a frequent flyer program with as many engaged members as possible. At a time of significantly reduced flying, loyalty programs remain one of the only consistent sources of much-needed revenue for airlines such as Qantas. So, why on earth does Qantas Frequent Flyer still … Continued
BP Rewards Offers are Slowly Improving
Last year, BP announced that it would end its partnership with Velocity Frequent Flyer and launch its own loyalty program in partnership with Qantas Frequent Flyer. The BP Rewards program eventually launched in March 2020, allowing members to earn either BP Rewards points or Qantas Frequent Flyer points for fuel and in-store purchases at BP. Members … Continued