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.
It’s just over a month since Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways launched a new strategic partnership. As well as earning and redeeming points on each others’ flights, this agreement promises Velocity Gold, Platinum and Beyond members access to priority check-in, priority boarding and lounges when flying with Qatar Airways. It’s a great value-add to the … Continued
If you’ve looked at international airfares lately, you may have noticed how much more expensive they are compared to pre-COVID times. In fact, Qantas Business Class fares on some routes are now selling for close to $30,000 return during busy travel periods. As Australian Frequent Flyer covered recently, there are numerous reasons for the high … Continued
Many of the elite status extensions offered by frequent flyer programs due to COVID-19 are about to come to an end. For some airlines, this will mean a sudden and significant reduction in the number of members holding status. There has been a live debate for some time already about whether to continue extending the … Continued
The Virgin Australia Lounge at Perth Airport is now once again staying open until the evening red-eye flights depart, rather than closing at 6pm every day. Two months ago, Australian Frequent Flyer reported that the Virgin Australia Lounge in Perth’s terminal 1 was not staying open for the late-night overnight departures to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. In … Continued
For a limited time, Qantas is offering a 50% discount off 1-year Qantas Club memberships – both for new members and on renewals. From 11-17 October 2022, you can get half-price Qantas Club when signing up for a new 1-year individual membership or renewing your existing membership for a year. This discount is available on … Continued
The Qantas website has a well-known limitation that you can only use it to search for and book flights departing from certain countries. This can be particularly frustrating when searching for partner airline award flights from overseas destinations. Obviously you can book flights from Australia or any destination where Qantas flies its own aircraft. But … Continued
With many flights to Australia currently fully booked or even oversold, airlines have been turning to desperate measures to encourage passengers to give up their seats. AFF member albatross710 was recently booked to fly from Vancouver to Brisbane on Air Canada. At the boarding gate, airline staff were calling for 7 volunteers to give up … Continued
Japan is reopening next week, and to celebrate, Qantas has released six weeks worth of Points Planes to Tokyo where every seat is now available to book as a Classic Flight Reward in Economy. All Business Class seats between Sydney and Tokyo on 10 May 2023 are also being made available to book as Classic Rewards … Continued
For a long time, Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan has been a popular frequent flyer program due to its excellent value award flight redemptions. As Alaska Airlines also sells miles, often with bonus miles attached during promotions, some Australians have even been buying Mileage Plan miles on a regular basis. Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan redemptions may be a … Continued
Rex is introducing a new real-time bidding system for passengers to upgrade to Business Class on the airline’s Boeing 737 jet services. As an introductory offer, minimum bids will start from just $10. With Rex’s “Bid Up” program, selected passengers booked in Economy Class will be invited seven days before departure to place a bid … Continued
Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program has brought back its twice-yearly offer of bonus points when transferring from a credit card or hotel loyalty program a month early! For the past several years, Velocity has consistently offered at least 15% bonus points as an incentive to transfer points into Velocity from flexible points programs every … Continued
When redeeming Qantas points to fly overseas, you’ll often end up on a partner airline as it can be difficult to find award availability on Qantas-operated flights to destinations such as Europe – especially in premium cabins. Redeeming points to fly on a partner airline is a perfectly normal aspect of most frequent flyer programs. … Continued