Author: Matt Graham
Matt Graham
Matt was the editor of Australian Frequent Flyer from 2015 until 2025. His passion for travel has taken him to more than 100 countries - with a lot of help along the way from frequent flyer points! 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 @Mattg.
Podcast #13: jb747’s Stellar Career with Qantas
In this special edition of the AFF on AIR podcast, Matt chats to John Bartels (a.k.a. jb747) about his flying career with Qantas, the A380, the QF30 incident, flight training, retirement, today’s aviation industry and more. John is a former Qantas Airbus A380 captain and remains an active contributor to AFF’s popular Ask The Pilot … Continued
Air Chathams Auctions Historic Convair 580
Ever wanted to own a historic aircraft? New Zealand’s Air Chathams has recently retired its oldest Convair 580 aircraft and is selling it in an auction. Bids start from NZD20,000 (~AU$18,917), which is less than the price of most new cars. The Convair 580 aircraft, which was built in 1953, will never fly again as … Continued
jb747’s Stellar Career with Qantas – AIR013
In this special edition of the podcast, Matt chats to John Bartels (a.k.a. jb747) about his flying career with Qantas, the A380, the QF30 incident, flight training, retirement, today’s aviation industry and more. John is a former Qantas Airbus A380 captain and remains an active contributor to AFF’s popular Ask The Pilot thread. … Continued
Qantas Flyer Incorrectly Denied Lounge Access
A Qantas Gold frequent flyer has been incorrectly denied Air New Zealand lounge access despite being booked on a Qantas codeshare service. To make matters worse, Qantas responded to this member’s complaint by providing completely inaccurate information. It seems that neither Air New Zealand nor Qantas are fully aware of their own policies regarding reciprocal … Continued
Redeem Points for Qantas Premium Economy to Asia
When flying to Asia, Qantas offers a Premium Economy cabin on flights to Singapore, Hong Kong and Tokyo. Qantas has a very good Premium Economy product, so redeeming your Qantas Frequent Flyer points for a seat can be very good value. But redeeming Cathay Pacific Asia Miles for Qantas Premium Economy awards is even better … Continued
Uzbekistan is the Perfect Holiday Destination
There are some incredible sights on our planet. But the most famous feats of architecture – places like Machu Picchu, Angkor Wat and the Pyramids of Giza – all have one thing in common: they’re overrun by tourists. If you’ve ever visited a popular tourist attraction, you’ve probably had to queue up for ages to buy … Continued
International Virgin Australia Flight Departs with 23 Passengers
It’s always nice to get an empty seat next to you on the plane. But passengers on a recent Virgin Australia international flight could choose from entire rows of empty seats, with just 19 passengers booked in Economy. Up the front of the plane, there were 4 Business passengers bringing the total number of paying … Continued
Travel Advice Ignored by Friends & Family
Many AFF members take pride in finding the best travel deals and optimising their frequent flyer points. But many say that they struggle to help friends and family members who don’t share the same passion for our hobby. There are countless stories of members who’ve tried to help, only to find their advice has fallen … Continued
Catch Qantas’ 747s on Domestic Flights
With all of the seven remaining Boeing 747s in the Qantas fleet due to be retired by next year, time is running out to fly with Qantas on the “queen of the skies”. There are only six destinations that are still served by Qantas 747s. And the airline will end Boeing 747-400 service to Honolulu … Continued