Airlines, miles, and points is the most popular topic at Australian Frequent Flyer. In this category, we provide expert tips, insider tricks, and facilitate discussions about Qantas, Virgin Australia, non-Australian airlines, and global airline alliances. From earning and redeeming frequent flyer points to maximising elite status benefits, we aim to help you get the most out of your travel. We also cover every step of the journey – from planning and booking flights to experiencing the flight itself, and finally, arriving at your destination. Whether you're a seasoned traveller or just starting to explore the world of frequent flyer programs, you'll find valuable advice to elevate your travel experience. See below for articles on airlines, miles and points.
Qantas’ first refurbished Airbus A380 is set to return to service next Monday with a brand new interior. The airline is currently in the process of upgrading its A380s with brand new Business and Premium Economy seats, and refreshed First Class and Economy seats. VH-OQK (named John and Reginald Duigan) is the first Qantas A380 … Continued
Virgin Australia plans to commence daily flights to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport and launch a new partnership with Japan’s All Nippon Airways (ANA). Based in Japan, ANA has a 5-star Skytrax rating and is a member of Star Alliance. Subject to regulatory approvals, Virgin would commence daily flights from Brisbane to Haneda from 29 March 2020 using … Continued
Low-cost carrier Jetstar will axe all regional routes within New Zealand, with the last flights to operate on 30 November 2019. Although Jetstar has announced that this is currently only a “proposal”, the airline is already offering refunds to customers that booked a regional New Zealand domestic flight for travel from December 2019. Tickets beyond … Continued
600,000 Thomas Cook customers are now stranded overseas after the UK-based travel company filed for insolvency yesterday. Around a quarter of these passengers are British holidaymakers. The 178-year-old company operates airlines, resorts, hotels and cruises, and specialises in selling Europeans package holidays to sunny destinations. The Thomas Cook Group owns Thomas Cook Airlines, as well … Continued
Almost a year ago, Air New Zealand spectacularly ended its long-term partnership with Virgin Australia. Following the end of October 2018, the two airlines once again became competitors on trans-Tasman flights while Air New Zealand got into bed with Virgin’s rival, Qantas. Looking back, it seems the divorce has worked out much better for Air … Continued
Oktoberfest is on again in Munich, and German airline Lufthansa is really getting into the spirit again this year! This year, Lufthansa will operate flights where the entire cabin crew will dress up in traditional Bavarian Lederhosen and Dirndls, including two A380 flights from Munich to Beijing and Los Angeles. These flights will be LH722 (MUC-PEK) … Continued
Virgin Australia is axing its Samsung in-flight entertainment tablets in Business Class on domestic and short-haul international flights. From 30 September 2019, Virgin says that it will no longer load Samsung Galaxy tablets for Business Class guests on its Boeing 737 aircraft. Instead, passengers can stream entertainment to their own devices via the Virgin Australia … Continued
Back in June 2019, Qantas Frequent Flyer announced that it would increase the number of points required for reward flight bookings in any premium cabin. In return, there would be a modest reduction in award booking carrier charges and Qantas would release “more than 1 million extra reward seats available annually on Qantas and new … Continued
We now know the new carrier charges that will apply to Qantas Business & First Class award bookings made from 18 September 2019 following the major Qantas Frequent Flyer changes. Qantas promised back in June that from 18 September 2019, it would decrease carrier charges for Qantas Classic Flight Reward bookings in Premium Economy, Business … Continued
Virgin Australia will regain full ownership of its Velocity Frequent Flyer loyalty program after selling a 35% stake to Affinity Equity Partners in 2014. Virgin will pay $700 million to buy back the stake in its profitable Velocity loyalty program – around double what Affinity paid for it five years ago. Virgin Australia yesterday confirmed … Continued
If you hold status with an airline, you’ll often feel obliged to continue crediting points to that airline’s frequent flyer program in order to use your status benefits when you fly. For example, if you have Qantas Platinum status, you may only be granted entry to the First Class Lounge if your Qantas Frequent Flyer … Continued
When you’ve booked a Business Class ticket, it’s extremely frustrating to turn up to the airport and find out you’ve been involuntarily downgraded to Economy Class. But, if you’re flying with Qantas, that’s only the beginning of the nightmare. Australian Frequent Flyer has been very concerned to learn of Qantas not providing adequate compensation to … Continued