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.

Free Seat Selection on Jetstar

Like most low-cost airlines, Jetstar does not give much away for free. This includes seat selection. Choosing your seat of choice on a Jetstar flight typically costs at least $5 for a regular seat or even more for an “extra legroom” or “up-front” seat. But there is a trick to get the seat you want … Continued

Secrets to Status Match Success

If you hold elite status with any airline, you may be able to get it matched by another airline for free! Numerous status match deals have been circulating on AFF lately. Two of the most popular are from Airberlin of the oneworld alliance and Alitalia, a member of the SkyTeam alliance. A status match is … Continued

Cheap business class to Europe courtesy of Life Miles

This week we follow our member RB‘s trip to some of the less well-travelled parts of Germany, Italy and Spain. To travel to Europe in comfort and style, but without breaking the bank, our member made good use of Life Miles. LifeMiles is the frequent flyer program of Columbian airline and Star Alliance member Avianca. … Continued

Air New Zealand A320 Queenstown

Bidding for a OneUp Upgrade on Air New Zealand

If you have an upcoming flight with New Zealand’s flag carrier, you might be interested in upgrading to a nicer seat. Air New Zealand’s upgrade system is a little different to most for a few reasons. Firstly, it uses an “auction” to determine who can upgrade. Would-be upgraders can place a bid for a OneUp … Continued

Amex devalues rewards program

Some American Express cardholders are in for a nasty surprise in November. From 1 November 2015, Amex’s fee-free cards and a small range of corporate cards will no longer be a part of the popular Membership Rewards Ascent program. This program will instead be replaced by the Gateway program, resulting in a range of significant … Continued

Joining Qantas Frequent Flyer for free

With over 10 million members, the Qantas Frequent Flyer program is arguably the most popular frequent flyer program in Australia. Technically it isn’t free to join as Qantas charge an $89.50 joining fee to Australian residents. But the good news is that there are a number of ways to avoid paying this fee altogether and … Continued

No onboard drinks: Misleading Advertising?

This week a number of members accuse Virgin Australia of blatant misleading advertising after a member was refused a glass of wine on a recent flight. This member chose to fly Virgin on the back of a high-profile campaign promoting the free food and drink now available on all Virgin flights. In the advertisements, a … Continued

Chasing birdies in the UK

This week’s trip report is a golfer’s paradise. Our member bluebagger recently headed to Europe to tick a few things off the bucket list. A visit to the Isle of Skye will be in order and it would seem that our member is a golf fan. Over two weeks they managed to get in six … Continued

Travelling to Greece during the financial crisis

If you’ve been watching the news lately, you’ll probably be aware of the current financial turmoil the European nation of Greece is facing. As the future of Greece hangs in the balance, banks are shutting down and citizens have taken to the streets in protest. So, should travellers be reconsidering a holiday in Greece? And … Continued