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Then There Were Two: Virgin Narrows Down Potential Buyers

The field of potential Virgin Australia buyers has been narrowed down to two, with Cyrus Capital Partners and Bain Capital now competing to become the new owners of the collapsed airline. The final bids for Virgin Australia, which has been in voluntary administration since 21 April, are due on Friday 12 June 2020. The administrators … Continued

4 Jun 2020 Virgin Australia

Qantas Increases Cost of Emirates Reward Flights

Barely a week since Emirates reduced carrier charges applicable to reward flight bookings, Qantas Frequent Flyer has revealed that it will increase the number of points required to book a Classic Flight Reward on Emirates. While the reduction in carrier charges is immediate, the points increase will take effect from 1 September 2020. This means … Continued

3 Jun 2020 Qantas

Singapore & Hong Kong Reopen to Transit Passengers

Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific are both increasing flights to Australia, after Singapore and Hong Kong both re-opened their airports to transiting passengers. But both Singapore and Hong Kong remain closed to arriving tourists. Singapore & Hong Kong transits are now possible After both countries closed their borders, both Singapore and Hong Kong went a … Continued

3 Jun 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

Ola Calls In Debt Collectors After App Error

Ride-sharing service Ola has engaged debt collectors to chase down customers affected by a widespread problem that prevented the Ola App from collecting credit card payments correctly. The technical problem with Ola’s App has impacted a large number of its ride-share customers that used the service around December 2019, including multiple Australian Frequent Flyer members. … Continued

1 Jun 2020 Ground Transport

Up to 150 Status Credits for Transferring Points to Qantas

Qantas is offering 25% bonus points and up to 150 bonus status credits to selected frequent flyers that transfer credit or charge card reward points to Qantas Frequent Flyer by 30 June 2020. The targeted offer has been sent to Qantas Frequent Flyer members that have transferred points to Qantas in the past. Members that … Continued

31 May 2020 American Express

Podcast #37: Flight Changes, Refunds & Travel Credits

As the coronavirus crisis continues, many airline passengers are still waiting for refunds from cancelled flight bookings. Meanwhile, some passengers have discovered that they would have to pay extra – thousands of dollars, in some cases – to rebook their cancelled flights for a different date. This is exactly what happened recently to a Lufthansa … Continued

30 May 2020 AFF on Air Podcast

Flight Changes, Refunds & Travel Credits – AIR037

  As the coronavirus crisis continues, many airline passengers are still waiting for refunds from cancelled bookings. Meanwhile, some passengers have discovered that they would have to pay extra – thousands of dollars, in some cases – to rebook their cancelled flights for a different date. Recently, a Lufthansa customer in Germany was asked to … Continued

30 May 2020 AFF on Air (blubrry)

Refunds & Credits for Unused Travel Insurance Policies

Numerous Australian travel insurers are now offering policy refunds or credits to customers that had to cancel their trip due to COVID-19 restrictions. If you had purchased a travel insurance policy before COVID-19 became a known event (around the end of January), and were either unable to take your trip or had to cut it … Continued

29 May 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

Qantas Waives Classic Flight Reward Cancellation Fees

Qantas is now waiving change and cancellation fees for all new and existing Classic Flight Reward bookings until 31 October 2020. This includes Classic Flight Reward bookings made for travel after October 2020, provided you make the change or cancel your booking by the the end of October. The Qantas “Fly Flexible” offer is good … Continued

28 May 2020 Qantas

LATAM Airlines Files for Bankruptcy

LATAM Airlines has become the latest airline to file for bankruptcy during the COVID-19 travel shutdown, as the company embarks on a reorganisation of the business. The circumstances of the LATAM bankruptcy are similar to those of Virgin Australia as well as Avianca, one of South America’s other major airlines. The airline has filed for … Continued

27 May 2020 LATAM Airlines

Amex, Flybuys Reinstate Velocity Transfers

The American Express Membership Rewards and Flybuys programs have reinstated the ability to transfer points to Velocity Frequent Flyer. It comes after all Australian bank & supermarket loyalty programs temporarily suspended point transfers to Velocity due to the loyalty program of Virgin Australia pausing all redemptions on 21 April 2020. Most Australian banks are still blocking … Continued

26 May 2020 American Express

Virtual Travel Experiences to Calm Your Itchy Feet

If you’ve been stuck at home for the past few months, you’re probably getting itchy feet. You’re definitely not alone – many of us miss the freedom to travel overseas. We all travel for different reasons. Some of us love experiencing new destinations and cultures. Some people travel for work, to attend conferences or to visit … Continued

25 May 2020 Coronavirus and Travel