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Why Sri Lankan Duty-Free Stores are Full of Whitegoods

The experience of arriving at Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka is just like most other airports around the world. Except for one thing: the huge number of duty-free stores selling bulky whitegoods and electronics. In most countries, airport duty-free stores mainly sell things like alcohol, cigarettes, small electronics and perfumes. You know, the … Continued

10 Jun 2021 Airports & Lounges

If You Thought Qantas Business Class Isn’t Overpriced…

Compare the pair. Same domestic flight, same date. Same class of travel. The first ticket is a one-way Qantas Business Class flight from Perth to Sydney: And this ticket includes exactly the same Qantas Business Class flight from Perth to Sydney… followed by an American Airlines Premium Economy flight to Los Angeles, and then another flight … Continued

10 Jun 2021 Qantas

Jetstar A320 Economy Review (Auckland-Wellington)

When flying domestically within New Zealand, there are two main airline choices: Air New Zealand or Jetstar. As you’d expect from a low-cost carrier, Jetstar offers typically low fares and a no-frills service. I recently found out what the Jetstar A320 Economy class experience in New Zealand is like on a short flight from Auckland to … Continued

9 Jun 2021 Flight Reviews

The Easiest Way to Disappoint Frequent Flyers

Flight delays, missing luggage, broken in-flight entertainment systems, seat swaps… there are plenty of things that could annoy frequent travellers. But few things seem to upset frequent flyers quite like getting incorrectly denied airport lounge access. Over the years, there have been many stories on frequent flyer forums such as AFF about travellers who should … Continued

7 Jun 2021 The Journey

Infrequent Flyers: How COVID-19 Has Affected Travellers

Before the pandemic, many Australian Frequent Flyer members – as you would expect – flew very frequently. Some were commuting interstate on a weekly basis, while others had multiple overseas trips each year. In fact, quite a few AFF members flew enough to earn Qantas Platinum One status, which requires Qantas flyers to earn at … Continued

3 Jun 2021 Coronavirus and Travel

Overseas Travel for Vaccinated Australians Within 6 Weeks?

The federal government could allow some Australians vaccinated against COVID-19 to travel overseas within 6-8 weeks under a pilot program, health minister Greg Hunt reportedly told parliamentary colleagues on Tuesday. According to The Guardian, fully vaccinated Australians could soon be permitted to leave the country without having to apply for a travel restriction exemption. People … Continued

3 Jun 2021 Coronavirus and Travel

Missing Qantas Points & Status Credits for E190 Flights

Last week, Qantas launched Embraer E190 flights for the first time. Operated by Alliance Airlines on behalf of QantasLink, the E190s will be initially used on the Adelaide-Alice Springs, Alice Springs-Darwin and Darwin-Adelaide routes. Over the coming months, Alliance-operated E190s will also be used on many new Qantas routes including Adelaide-Gold Coast, Darwin-Canberra and Sydney-Townsville. … Continued

2 Jun 2021 Qantas

Which Countries Ban Their Citizens From Leaving?

On 25 March 2020, the Australian government banned its citizens and permanent residents from leaving the country without a travel exemption as an emergency coronavirus measure. Fourteen months later, the temporary ban is still in force (with the exception of travel to New Zealand) and there are no signs of it being repealed anytime soon. … Continued

31 May 2021 Coronavirus and Travel

711 Easy Velocity Points with New 7-Eleven Partnership

Velocity Frequent Flyer members can now earn points at 7-Eleven petrol stations and convenience stores after the ACCC approved the new partnership. 7-Eleven customers can earn 1 Velocity point per litre of regular fuel, increasing to 2 points per litre for premium fuels (Extra 95 and Mobil 98 Supreme+). There’s also 2 Velocity points per … Continued

29 May 2021 Virgin Australia

Podcast #61: Frequent Flyer Points & FBT

Business rewards programs such as Qantas Business Rewards have become increasingly popular in recent years. With Qantas Business Rewards, points are earned by the business and can then be transferred to anyone including employees. But does this have any Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) implications? It’s generally considered that points earned by employees in their personal … Continued

29 May 2021 AFF on Air Podcast

Frequent Flyer Points & FBT – AIR061

  Business rewards programs such as Qantas Business Rewards have become increasingly popular. With Qantas Business Rewards, points are earned by the business and can then be transferred to anyone including employees. But does this have any Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) implications? Also in this episode, Matt gives an update on the trans-Tasman travel bubble … Continued

29 May 2021 AFF on Air (blubrry)

Rex Introduces In-Flight Wifi

Update (11 November 2021): Rex has now rolled out Intelsat 2Ku Wi-Fi on 4 of its 6 Boeing 737-800 jets. This is available for free to Business Class passengers and a $10 fee in Economy. Rex has also introduced an in-flight entertainment portal which all passengers on its jet services can access at no cost. … Continued

27 May 2021 Rex & Regional Airlines