Latest news

Qantas Extends Everyone’s Status for 12 Months

Qantas Frequent Flyer will give all members a 12-month status extension due to the current COVID-19 situation. All current Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members whose status is currently due to expire between March 2020 and February 2021 will automatically have their status renewed for another 12 months. This will occur regardless of the … Continued

18 Mar 2020 Qantas

Qantas Points Club Has Launched

Qantas has finally launched its much-anticipated Qantas Points Club, which offers benefits to “frequent buyers”. Qantas Frequent Flyer members that earn at least 150,000 points per membership year will automatically receive Qantas Points Club status. In addition, Qantas Points Club Plus membership can be reached by earning 350,000 points per year. Most of these points … Continued

18 Mar 2020 Qantas

Airline Call Centres in Meltdown

Airline call centres worldwide are struggling to cope with the current surge in demand, leaving many calls unanswered and others on hold for many hours. Qantas customers, for example, have reported waiting well over 5-6 hours on hold – or simply being hung up on – over recent weeks. Qantas call centre staffing levels were … Continued

17 Mar 2020 Virgin Australia

New Arrival Cards for Entry to Tasmania

IN BRIEF | All travellers arriving in the Australian state of Tasmania will be required to complete an arrival card, starting from today. The new measure, designed to limit the spread of COVID-19, comes a day after the Australian government began requiring all passengers arriving in Australia from overseas to self-isolate for 14 days. Completing … Continued

17 Mar 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

COVID-19 Travel Update: 16 March 2020

Last Friday, we released a summary of the latest COVID-19 news relating to travel and loyalty programs. This article provides an updated summary of recent changes that are relevant to Australian frequent flyers, as of Monday 16 May 2020. A lot has changed in just three days. All travellers from overseas are now being required … Continued

16 Mar 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

Qantas Offers Free Cancellation Vouchers

Qantas yesterday released a new, more generous change & cancellation fee waiver after its previous policy attracted considerable criticism. Jetstar flights are also included in this. If you have an existing Qantas or Jetstar booking for travel until 31 May 2020, you now have the option to change dates or cancel your trip and receive … Continued

16 Mar 2020 Qantas

All Travellers Required to Self-Isolate on Arrival into Australia

The Australian government is now requiring all international travellers to self-isolate for two weeks after arriving into Australia. The measure, designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19, came into effect at midnight last night and applies to everyone – including Australian citizens – except for operating flight crews. At this time, the self-isolation requirement is … Continued

16 Mar 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

Virgin Australia Further Reduces International Flights

Just days after Qantas announced further cuts to international flights until September, Virgin Australia has revealed more flight reductions of its own. Among the changes, Virgin Australia will temporarily reduce flights to Japan, Los Angeles and New Zealand, and permanently axe its two fifth-freedom international routes. Frequencies on some domestic routes will also be reduced … Continued

14 Mar 2020 Virgin Australia

Airlines Limit Hand Sanitiser Quantities

Health experts have said that only hand sanitiser with an alcohol content of at least 60% has a chance of being effective against COVID-19. However, items with such a high alcohol content pose a fire risk and are therefore restricted by airlines. Virgin Australia is warning passengers, for example, that: Many hand sanitisers contain flammable … Continued

13 Mar 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

COVID-19 Travel Update: 13 March 2020

Yesterday, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The evolving coronavirus situation is making overseas travel increasingly difficult. Even if you happen to have a pre-existing travel insurance policy that covers coronavirus – and the health risks aside – countries are increasingly placing new entry restrictions and many flights are being cancelled. Meanwhile, airlines … Continued

13 Mar 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

Wide Open British Airways Award Availability from Sydney to London

With the constantly-changing international travel restrictions at the moment, you’d be forgiven if you wanted to avoid overseas travel right now. But if you still want – or need – to travel to London over the coming year, now could actually be a very good time to book. Award availability is wide open – even in … Continued

13 Mar 2020 British Airways Points Inspiration

Qantas Sends Boeing 717 to Coffs Harbour

QantasLink will switch one of its five daily flights between Sydney and Coffs Harbour to a Boeing 717 aircraft. The change will take effect from Sunday, 29 March 2020. It comes just weeks before Tigerair withdraws from the Sydney-Coffs Harbour and Melbourne-Coffs Harbour routes. Currently, the Sydney-Coffs Harbour route is served by QantasLink exclusively with … Continued

12 Mar 2020 Qantas