Latest news

International Arrival Caps Locking Out Australians

Thousands of stranded Australians are unable to return home due to restrictive caps on arriving international passenger numbers. Since July, the number of daily and weekly inbound passenger arrivals have been limited at all five of Australia’s major international airports. A maximum of 525 international travellers are permitted to arrive in Perth each week, with … Continued

30 Aug 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

Virgin Creditors’ Meeting Set for 4 September 2020

The final meeting of Virgin Australia creditors is all set to take place on 4 September after Virgin Australia’s administrators handed down their report to creditors this week. The airline’s future will be voted on at a virtual Microsoft Teams meeting scheduled for 10am (AEST) on Friday, 4 September 2020. If the sale to Bain Capital … Continued

28 Aug 2020 Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia Customers to Receive “Future Flight Credits”

Virgin Australia customers would have existing travel credits or conditional flight credits replaced with “Future Flight credits” if the proposed sale to Bain Capital goes ahead. These would be valid to redeem for Virgin Australia flights until 31 July 2022, for travel until 30 June 2023, but would come with restrictions. The sale to Bain … Continued

27 Aug 2020 Virgin Australia

How Can Overseas Members Renew Qantas Status in 2021?

Update (November 2020): Qantas has now announced complimentary status extensions for all Qantas Frequent Flyer members residing outside Australia or New Zealand, whose status is due to expire between March-December 2021. There are no further complimentary status extensions for members whose status expires in January or February 2022. To renew your Qantas Frequent Flyer status, … Continued

27 Aug 2020 Qantas

Qantas Cuts More Staff

After announcing 6,000 permanent job losses in June, the Qantas Group this week revealed that a further 2,400 jobs will be lost as it outsources ground handling services at major Australian airports. Qantas and Jetstar currently directly employ around 2,370 ground handling staff at 11 major Australian airports, which work in roles such as baggage … Continued

26 Aug 2020 Qantas

Qantas 737 Business Class Review (during COVID-19)

Virgin Australia may have scaled back its domestic business class service at the moment, but not Qantas. The flying kangaroo has already reinstated hot meals and drinks in business class, and the current service during COVID-19 is not all that different from normal times. In this review, find out what it’s like flying in Qantas’ Boeing … Continued

25 Aug 2020 Flight Reviews

Qantas Frequent Flyer is Keeping the Airline Afloat

There has long been a joke that frequent flyer programs make more money for airlines than flying planes. In the current climate, it couldn’t be more true! Last week Qantas revealed a $2.7 billion statutory loss for the 2019-20 financial year. After a profitable first half to the financial year, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in … Continued

24 Aug 2020 Qantas

Qantas & Virgin’s Best Products Have Sadly Disappeared

Amid the current downturn in international air travel, many planes have been retired, returned to lessors or placed into deep storage – perhaps never to fly again. Larger and older aircraft are particularly affected, and Qantas & Virgin Australia have been no exception. Sadly, one of many unintended consequences is the indefinite loss of Australia’s … Continued

23 Aug 2020 Airlines, Miles and Points

Podcast #43: Kangaroo Island

It has been a tough year for most Australian businesses, especially those involved in the tourism industry. But for the people of Kangaroo Island in South Australia, the coronavirus pandemic came right on the back of a nightmare summer of bushfires. After visiting Kangaroo Island this fortnight, Matt takes a close look at how these … Continued

22 Aug 2020 AFF on Air Podcast

Kangaroo Island – AIR043

  2020 has been a tough year for many Australian tourism businesses. But few parts of Australia have been affected as badly as Kangaroo Island in South Australia. The island was still recovering from a disastrous summer bushfire season, which destroyed almost half the island, when the coronavirus crisis hit. With borders now closed, the … Continued

22 Aug 2020 AFF on Air (blubrry)

Qantas International Flights Unlikely to Restart Before July 2021

Qantas today revealed that it does not expect international flights to resume until at least July 2021. The grim outlook came as Qantas announced a $2.7 billion statutory loss before tax for the 2019-20 financial year. In today’s announcement, the national carrier said that its international network was “unlikely to restart before July 2021; possibly … Continued

20 Aug 2020 Qantas

Qantas 2019-20 Financial Results a Mixed Bag

Qantas has made a small underlying profit but a large statutory loss in the 2019-20 financial year. The results demonstrate a very strong first half but a disastrous second half, as the COVID-19 outbreak worsened and progressively harsher travel restrictions were introduced. Qantas estimates that it took a $4 billion revenue hit in the previous … Continued

20 Aug 2020 Qantas