Since Airberlin went broke last year, Alitalia has been the only Virgin Australia partner airline operating flights within Europe. The Italian flag carrier, which also has ongoing financial difficulties, has been a partner of Virgin Australia and Velocity Frequent Flyer since April 2016. With hubs in Rome and Milan, Alitalia operates many short-haul flights within … Continued
2 Oct 2018
Airline Status
Complaints & Resolutions
It’s that time of year again when all the airlines discount their airfares to Europe for travel in the following year! Qantas, Emirates, Qatar, Etihad Airways, Singapore Airlines and many other airlines have all released Europe early bird sale fares. Right now, you can book a return ticket from Australia to Europe on a full-service … Continued
A Virgin Australia customer was recently overcharged by more than $4,000. But, despite acknowledging the error, Virgin initially refused to refund any of the money. This customer claims that an airline representative even threatened to cancel their Velocity Frequent Flyer membership and revoke their Platinum status if they submitted a credit card chargeback claim. The … Continued
1 Oct 2018
Complaints & Resolutions
Flight Upgrades
Finding Business Class award availability from Australia to the USA is always a challenge. Qantas restricts award availability for Bronze and Silver members, and Virgin Australia doesn’t release any Business Reward seats to Los Angeles until a week before the flight. Luckily, there are other options when redeeming points to the United States. One left-field alternative … Continued
27 Sep 2018
Airline Routes
Award Availability
Business Class
Redeem Points
Until Friday, you can get 25% off Qantas Classic Rewards for travel in Economy Class. The discount applies to all award flights on Qantas, Jetstar or Emirates. The 25% discount is valid for travel from 14 October 2018 until 29 August 2019 for travel on Qantas or Emirates, or until 30 June 2019 for travel … Continued
Fuel surcharges on flights departing Hong Kong are set to increase dramatically after the Hong Kong government elected to end the current ban. Following months of speculation the Hong Kong fuel surcharge ban will finally be removed from 1 November 2018, allowing airlines once again to set their own charges. Booking award flights originating in Hong … Continued
Thai Airways will drastically reduce capacity to Australia over the Australian summer with flights to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane all cut from next month. Thai will also downsize the aircraft operating on the Perth-Bangkok route. The changes come into effect from 28 October 2018, which is the start of the northern winter scheduling period. It … Continued
Flybuys is once again offering selected members three months of complimentary Virgin Australia Gold status! As part of the ‘Explore Gold’ offer, Flybuys members are also able to extend their status for a further year by earning just 80 Velocity status credits in 3 months. The Virgin Australia Explore Gold offer was sent yesterday to … Continued
Update (22 March 2019): Qantas is ending its partnership with Aer Lingus on 30 June 2019. You can still earn and redeem Qantas points for Aer Lingus flights until this date. Based in Ireland, Aer Lingus is one of the little-known Qantas partner airlines. The Irish carrier operates many flights between Ireland and the rest … Continued
Singapore Airlines has some exceptional Premium Economy deals right now on its new non-stop flights from Singapore to New York and Los Angeles. Premium Economy from Singapore to New York is currently available for as little as $1,436 return. And round-trip Premium Economy flights from Singapore to Los Angeles are just $1,334. That’s a massive discount … Continued
Avianca LifeMiles is currently offering up to 48% off selected award flights on Star Alliance partner airlines. By combining this deal with the current deal on buying LifeMiles, you could fly Business Class from Singapore to Los Angeles – as an example – for less than half the usual price! This promotion is running until … Continued
Many Australians save up their Qantas Frequent Flyer points in the hope of one day redeeming them for that dream flight in the pointy end of the plane. But redeeming Qantas points for a flight in Business or First Class is often an enormous challenge! The trouble is, Qantas does not release any award seats … Continued
