Author: Matt Graham
Optimal Strategy for 14 Annual Europe Trips
One member faces the unenvious prospect of taking up to 14 trips between Brisbane and Dublin over the next year. As this member will be paying for the flights themselves, they are looking for strategies to optimise their travel experience and hopefully score a few upgrades along the way. I’m looking at doing either 13 or … Continued
End of an Era for Alitalia
The future of Italian flag carrier Alitalia is in doubt after the debt-ridden airline filed for bankruptcy. The announcement came as the airline, which is losing more than a million dollars per day, failed to reach an agreement with its employees that would have seen jobs and salaries cut to more sustainable levels. Alitalia flights … Continued
BP Seeks End to Velocity Tie-up
BP is seeking to pull the plug on its partnership with Velocity Frequent Flyer, ahead of its acquisition of 527 Woolworths Petrol outlets next year. This would mean that Velocity points can no longer be earned or redeemed at BP petrol stations. It is likely that, going forward, BP will seek to form a partnership with … Continued
First Class for a Fraction of the Price
First Class provides the ultimate in luxury in the air. It’s also usually prohibitively expensive… but thanks to frequent flyer points, it doesn’t have to be! One member recently flew First class on Etihad’s Airbus A380 from Sydney to Abu Dhabi, and they absolutely loved the experience. This member said they felt like they were … Continued
Hainan Airlines: A 5-Star Experience?
There are only 9 airlines in the world that have been given a 5-star rating by Skytrax. One of them is China’s Hainan Airlines. Hainan Airlines’ 5-star rating brings it in line with carriers such as Singapore Airlines, ANA and Qatar Airways. But did it live up to such high expectations when our member Wanderlust_tim recently … Continued
Redeem Points for LATAM Business Class to Chile
Excellent value & award availability: Redeem your points to fly Business Class to South America! Redeeming frequent flyer points to South America has traditionally been very difficult. But thanks to some new direct flights between Australia and South America, award availability to South America is actually very good at the moment. LATAM Airlines will begin … Continued
15% Bonus on Velocity Point Transfers
Virgin Australia is currently running an excellent promotion on Velocity point transfers. For the month of May, Velocity members can earn at least 15% bonus points when transferring points to Velocity from most credit card rewards programs. ANZ customers can earn even more bonus points, with up to 50% bonus points on offer for transfers … Continued
Taking a Chance on Flight Delays
Would you fly on the same day as an important event, such as a wedding? That’s the question michaele asks this week as they weigh up the pros & cons of cutting their short trip even shorter in order to avoid arriving back in Australia on the day of their wedding. Looking for your advice … Continued
Is Jetstar the World’s Worst Airline?
It’s been an embarrassing week for Jetstar after the airline was ranked last in an international survey comparing more than 70 airlines. The abysmal ranking earned Jetstar just one star out of five in the survey conducted by Choice in conjunction with Consumers International. But is Jetstar really the worst airline in the world? The … Continued