Latest news

Defunct Tigerair Loses its Roar

Tigerair will not return to the skies in Australia, with the Virgin Australia Group confirming this week that it will discontinue the Tigerair brand. Virgin Australia, which owns Tigerair, said the decision to axe the Tigerair brand is due to insufficient demand in the Australian domestic market to support two carriers at this time. When … Continued

6 Aug 2020 Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia to Retain Lounges, Ditch 777s & A330s

Virgin Australia has revealed how the airline plans to emerge from voluntary administration, and it’s a mixture of good and bad news. Virgin will retain most of its airport lounges and Business class cabins, and all Velocity Frequent Flyer points and travel credits will be honoured. But it will emerge as a smaller airline focusing … Continued

6 Aug 2020 Virgin Australia

Frequent Flyers Recount Their “Flights from Hell”

With most international travel off the cards for the foreseeable future, many frequent flyers are reminiscing about past trips and longing to get back into the air. At this time, it’s easy to think about long-haul travel through rose-coloured glasses. But as any frequent traveller will know, long-haul travel is not always as fun as … Continued

5 Aug 2020 In Flight

What Could Oneworld Alliance-Wide Upgrades Look Like?

In late 2019, Australian Frequent Flyer revealed that the Oneworld alliance was considering allowing frequent flyers of any Oneworld airline to use their points to upgrade on any other airline in the alliance. The news of Oneworld alliance-wide upgrades was welcomed by frequent travellers, and recently, Oneworld CEO Rub Gurney confirmed to Cranky Flier that the new upgrade proposition … Continued

4 Aug 2020 Oneworld

Jetstar Refunds Erroneous Change Fees

Jetstar has refunded passengers that were incorrectly charged a $131 fee to change their flight after Jetstar cancelled on them and failed to provide a suitable alternative. Australian Frequent Flyer member sammy had booked a return flight from Sydney to Maroochydore (Sunshine Coast) during a recent sale. This member had flown to the Sunshine Coast last … Continued

3 Aug 2020 Jetstar

Virgin’s COVID-19 Business Class Experience Disappoints

I’ve previously written a fairly positive review of Virgin Australia’s Boeing 737 Business Class. But during COVID-19 it’s a very different experience. As I discovered on a recent flight from Canberra to Brisbane, Virgin Australia Business class passengers are no longer receiving even close to the full Business class experience during COVID-19. Flight Details Flight number … Continued

1 Aug 2020 Flight Reviews

How to Save at Least 5% at Dan Murphy’s

Dan Murphy’s is popular with wine-loving Australian Frequent Flyer members for its wide range of alcoholic beverages and regular deals – many of which are shared on AFF’s dedicated Dan Murphy’s Wine Deals thread. But did you know that you can also save at least an additional 5% off anything sold at Dan Murphy’s? The … Continued

31 Jul 2020 Woolworths Everyday Rewards

Queensland Shuts Border to Greater Sydney

Last weekend, the newly-relaunched Sydney Morning Herald travel section was filled with articles and full-page advertisements for holidays in Queensland. Just a few days later, on 29 July, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced that she would close the state’s border to anyone from “greater Sydney” from 1am on Saturday, 1 August 2020. Queensland reopened its border from … Continued

30 Jul 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

ACCC Forces Etihad to Refund Cancelled Flights

Etihad will now offer full refunds to all passengers that purchased tickets in Australia, for flights that were cancelled by the airline due to COVID-19. It comes after the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) engaged with Etihad Airways over concerns passengers were being illegally denied refunds for flights booked in Australia that did not … Continued

30 Jul 2020 Etihad Airways

Woolworths Relaunches Everyday Rewards

The Woolworths Rewards loyalty program has been renamed to its original name of “Everyday Rewards”, effective from 29 July 2020. The new program is now being rolled out nationwide. You’ll still earn 1 point per $1 for purchases from Woolworths, and you’ll still be able to redeem 2,000 points for either $10 off your shopping … Continued

29 Jul 2020 Woolworths Everyday Rewards

Qantas Dream Planner Sends Real-Time Reward Alerts

Qantas Frequent Flyer has launched its new “Dream Planner” tool which it says will send real-time notifications of reward seat availability to frequent flyers. Designed to make it easier to redeem Qantas points, the service will also inform Qantas customers of special offers to their favourite destinations. Originally due to launch on 28 July, the … Continued

26 Jul 2020 Travel Tools & Technology

Podcast #41: Farewell to the Queen of the Skies

This week, Australia said farewell to a national icon. Over the past 49 years, Qantas has operated almost every variant of the Boeing 747 in existence. In fact, the flying kangaroo was once an all-747 airline. Now, the queen of the skies has been placed into early retirement in the Mojave desert. The iconic Boeing … Continued

25 Jul 2020 AFF on Air Podcast