Latest news

Qantas, Virgin Close All Domestic Lounges

Qantas and Virgin Australia have both been forced to close their domestic airport lounges today due to new government-mandated COVID-19 measures. All Qantas-operated lounges worldwide, including Qantas Clubs and Qantas Business Lounges, closed at midday today. Qantas says that it is working through options for Qantas Club members that are impacted by the lounge closures. … Continued

23 Mar 2020 Airports & Lounges

Cancelled Flights: Am I Entitled to a Refund?

If you’ve booked an international flight for travel in April or May, your flight will almost certainly be cancelled. Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia are all grounding international flights from the end of this month – as are many other airlines around the world. But if your flight has been cancelled, are you entitled to … Continued

23 Mar 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

COVID-19 Travel Update: 23 March 2020

There have been yet more developments over the weekend as the coronavirus situation evolves. Several Australian states and territories are now imposing self-quarantine for arriving travellers, and the Prime Minister is now advising against non-essential travel within Australia. Meanwhile, Emirates has announced that it will suspend almost all passenger flights from Wednesday, and Singapore & … Continued

23 Mar 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

The Last Qantas 747 Flight Could Be This Week

Update (29 March 2020): The final Qantas 747 flight will now be QF28 from Santiago, which is expected to land in Sydney around 5.30pm on Sunday 29 March 2020. VH-OEE (named Nullarbor) is the operating aircraft. The reason for the change is that the final QF64 was cancelled and the final QF28 service was delayed … Continued

23 Mar 2020 Qantas

Podcast #32: The World is Shutting Down (Temporarily)

It has been a tumultuous few weeks for the airline, tourism and hospitality industries. As the coronavirus outbreak spreads exponentially, many airlines have stopped flying and international borders are being closed at unprecedented rates. In Episode 32 of the AFF on AIR podcast, Matt looks at the implications of the past few weeks on travellers and … Continued

21 Mar 2020 AFF on Air Podcast

The World is Shutting Down Temporarily – AIR032

  It has been a tumultuous few weeks for the airline, tourism and hospitality industries. As the coronavirus outbreak spreads exponentially, many airlines have stopped flying and international borders are being closed at unprecedented rates. In this extended episode, Matt looks at the implications of the past few weeks on travellers and the airline industry. … Continued

21 Mar 2020 AFF on Air (blubrry)

COVID-19 Travel Update: 20 March 2020

What a strange and sad week it has been for travel and Australia’s aviation industry! Over just a few days, Qantas and Virgin have both announced massive flight reductions – including the suspension of all international flights – which will result in substantial job losses. And Australia’s borders will be effectively closed from 9pm today. … Continued

20 Mar 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

Qantas Closes All International Lounges

Qantas will close all international airport lounges, and some domestic Qantas Club lounges, following the grounding of international flights and significant cuts to domestic flights within Australia. Qantas will also suspend access to all international partner airline lounges and close its invitation-only Chairmans Lounges. The Qantas lounge closures include the popular Qantas First lounges in … Continued

20 Mar 2020 Qantas

Australia Closes Borders, Advises “Do Not Travel”

The Australian government will temporarily close the country’s borders from 9pm on Friday, 20 March 2020 (tonight). The travel ban affects all international travellers except Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members. New Zealand already closed its borders to everyone except New Zealand citizens, residents, their partners and children, or air/ship crews. The … Continued

20 Mar 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

Dan Murphy’s Suspends Cashback Offer

IN BRIEF | Dan Murphy’s will temporarily stop offering up to 3.5% cashback on online purchases via Cashrewards from today, as the liquor retailer struggles to keep up with demand. A notice on the Cashrewards website reads: Effective noon AEDT 20/03/20 until further notice, cashback will be unavailable for purchases at Dan Murphy’s. Dan Murphy’s … Continued

20 Mar 2020 Retail Loyalty Programs

Qantas Grounds All International Flights

The Qantas Group will temporarily ground more than 150 aircraft and cancel all scheduled international flights from the end of March 2020. Qantas and Jetstar will also cut around 60% of domestic flights in response to sharply falling demand for air travel. International Qantas flights will remain grounded until at least the end of May … Continued

19 Mar 2020 Qantas

Virgin Australia Status Extensions & Status Credit Gifts

Virgin Australia will extend the status of all Velocity Frequent Flyer members for 12 months. It will also gift its Silver, Gold and Platinum Velocity Frequent Flyer members with monthly bonus status credits for the next three months. Virgin initially announced that it was only offering extra status credits for 3 months. But now that … Continued

19 Mar 2020 Virgin Australia