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.
High, dry and breathless in the Atacama desert
For our member JohnM, a visit to the Atacama Desert in Chile was just one of the stops on a round-the-world trip. If the photos are anything to go by, the Atacama is far from an arid desert like one might find in the Australian outback. Instead, there are mountains, wildlife, lagunas and lots more … Continued
Moving to the UK – stick to Qantas or make the switch?
One of our members is planning a move to the UK and has a dilemma: pack the Qantas Frequent Flyer card or leave it behind and look at new options in the UK? I’m an Australian moving to the UK, and a member of the Qantas FF scheme for a while now, although I do … Continued
Virgin removes fuel surcharges, pressure on Qantas to follow
In a move that is likely to put further pressure on rival Qantas, Virgin Australia has completely removed fuel surcharges from all of its flights. The fuel surcharge component will now be included in the base fare. The move is largely symbolic as Virgin previously only charged a surcharge on two of its routes; Sydney … Continued
Business Class to Spain on Qantas & Finnair
Flying to Europe in the nose of the plane usually costs a small fortune, but there are a few tricks to save a bit of money without compromising on comfort. A popular strategy is to fly to an Asian port and pick up a discounted Business class flight with Finnair for the onward trip to … Continued
Big changes to Cathay Pacific Frequent Flyer program?
It has been reported that Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific is set to announce sweeping changes to its frequent flyer offering. Unfortunately, it’s mostly bad news for customers as the changes are likely to devalue the program significantly. In future it may be much harder or even impossible to gain elite status, especially flying on … Continued
Don’t let your Qantas points expire
The issue of expiring Qantas points is not one anyone with an active Qantas Frequent Flyer account should need to worry about. Qantas has a clear policy that points will not expire as long as the account has been active in some way in the past 18 months. But for less frequent travellers, this is … Continued
Relaxing in a part of Thailand less travelled
This week we follow a trip to a small Thai island called Ko Tau. It’s so small in fact, that our traveller had never even heard of it before visiting. So where is Ko Tau? It is a tiny island off the coast of Samui. Which requires a flight from Bangkok then a ferry ride … Continued
Dad lives it up in First; Mum & the kids slum it in Economy
One member this week is planning a family trip to Europe and wants to experience the luxury of First class, but won’t be able to bring the whole family into the pointy end. Instead of our member risking getting into trouble with his wife, the plan is to split the travel so that both Mum … Continued
Flights between Australia and Japan to increase
Direct flights between Australia and Japan are set to get a boost after Qantas announced new services to Japan late last year. In addition to this, there is speculation that All Nippon Airways will re-enter the Sydney-Tokyo market after a 16 year hiatus. Following various airline cutbacks and the aftermath of the 2011 earthquake in … Continued