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.
If you want to fly with the SkyTeam alliance, but aren’t flying to or from a member airline’s hub airport, it can be worth looking for SkyTeam fifth-freedom routes. These are tag flights that neither start nor end in the operating carrier’s home country. 11 of the 19 SkyTeam member airlines operate 34 fifth-freedom flights all around … Continued
Qantas has been caught out denying lounge access to frequent flyers, despite them clearly being eligible under Oneworld alliance rules. In one recent case, Qantas incorrectly refused lounge entry in Perth. To make matters worse, Qantas later defended their ground staff’s actions and refused to admit the mistake or offer compensation. Spieck‘s daughter had just … Continued
The days of flying on an old, angle-flat SkyBed Qantas Business class seat are officially over. Almost seven years after announcing its Airbus A330 refurbishment program, Qantas has now finally upgraded its final Airbus A330 with the newest generation of Business class suites and upgraded Panasonic in-flight entertainment systems. The Airbus A330-200 with registration VH-EBG, named … Continued
Qantas will retire its Boeing 747s from the Sydney-Santiago route, replacing them with Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners from 24 June 2020 – just in time for the winter school holidays. At the same time, Qantas will ramp up its frequency on the Santiago route from four times per week to daily. The Qantas Dreamliner has 236 … Continued
There are three main aircraft types in the Virgin Australia fleet; the Boeing 737-800, Airbus A330-200 and Boeing 777-300ER. The Economy and Business class seats on each of these plane types are quite different. For example, Virgin Australia’s Business class seats range from recliners to lie-flat beds. On the Boeing 777-300ER, which is used for … Continued
Staring out the window and watching the world go by is one of the joys of air travel. But some airlines insist that all passengers lower their window shades to create a dark cabin – even in the middle of the day. There are several reasons that airlines may ask passengers to close their window … Continued
On 1 December 2019, Singapore Airlines will switch its Singapore-Istanbul route from a Boeing 777-200 to an Airbus A350-900. The Airbus A350 has a Premium Economy cabin with 24 seats, meaning Singapore Airlines Premium Economy will soon be offered to Istanbul for the first time. This presents some great opportunities to travellers looking to redeem … Continued
If you want to fly with a Star Alliance airline, but aren’t flying to or from a member carrier’s hub airport, it can be worth looking for Star Alliance fifth-freedom routes. These are tag flights that neither start or end in the carrier’s own country, and they can be a great way to fly! 18 … Continued
If you’ve ever tried to redeem your Qantas Frequent Flyer points to fly Emirates Business or First Class to Europe, you’ve probably been shocked by the amount of extra taxes and carrier charges payable. But there’s a clever way to save hundreds in carrier charges when redeeming your points for Emirates award tickets. On a … Continued
Thanks to a current ANZ mortgage offer, it’s possible to earn 300,000 Qantas Frequent Flyer points from a single promotion. And even if you’re not in the market for a mortgage, it’s still possible to earn 300,000 points relatively easily by signing up for a few credit cards with generous sign-up bonus points attached. So, what … Continued
It’s now possible to book Air New Zealand domestic flights using Qantas Frequent Flyer points. Air New Zealand award seats are available to Qantas flyers on 30 domestic New Zealand routes where Qantas codeshares with the Kiwi carrier. This covers New Zealand destinations including Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Dunedin, Rotorua, Queenstown, Nelson and Gisborne. It is … Continued
Virgin Australia will bring back its seasonal flights from Newcastle to Auckland, despite filling just 54% of seats on the route last summer. In fact, Virgin Australia has announced a three-year deal with Newcastle Airport that will see the seasonal route running each summer until at least 2022. Virgin ran direct flights between Newcastle and … Continued