Latest news

Forced downgrade leaves Expedia customer fuming

One member is furious that online travel agent Expedia downgraded their business class ticket to economy without explanation. Having booked a business class trip to Europe, Expedia now says the member will need to pay $1,200 to “upgrade” the ticket back to business class. When our member then threatened to cancel the ticket, Expedia demanded … Continued

18 Jun 2015 Planning & Booking

Heading north for some winter warmth

We are currently approaching one year since Qantas stopped selling JASAs, or business class Any Seat Awards. These awards were very popular as our members were able to book reward seats at classic award prices, and also earn points and status credits for the journey. Some of our clever members, such as amaroo, bought one … Continued

17 Jun 2015 Flight Reviews

First Class, First Timer

One member is in a rather envious position. They want to use their frequent flyer points to cross that first class flight off their bucket list. Faced with a multitude of airlines and first class products to choose from, our member asks for advice in choosing the best route and airline to make the most … Continued

16 Jun 2015 Qantas

Qantas flying to San Francisco, American flying to Sydney

Flights across the Pacific are set to get a shake-up. From December, American Airlines will begin flying between Sydney and Los Angeles daily. To coincide with the launch, Qantas will itself launch a new route from Sydney to San Francisco. The airlines, who are already close partners, will collaborate and codeshare on each others’ flights … Continued

15 Jun 2015 Airlines, Miles and Points

Avoiding unfair airline fees – a creative solution

An airline passenger in the UK has come up with a clever way to avoid paying a “name change fee” on an airline ticket. The passenger was accidentally booked under the wrong name, but European low-cost airline Ryanair wanted to charge £220 (about $440!) for the name on the ticket to be changed. Instead of … Continued

13 Jun 2015 Airlines, Miles and Points

Lost Luggage Havoc

One member was shocked recently to discover their carry-on luggage had been stolen between boarding the plane and take-off. This member had placed their carry-on items including a computer and credit cards in the seat pocket after boarding. They then got up to use the bathroom before take-off, returning only to discover that the items … Continued

11 Jun 2015 In Flight

The long way home from New York

After a conference in New York, our member drron certainly isn’t taking any shortcuts on the trip back to Australia. Instead, our member has put together an envious itinerary involving many different modes of transport, and many different countries. With stops planned in Philadelphia, Paris, Copenhagen and Bangkok, just to name a few, our member … Continued

10 Jun 2015 Flight Reviews

Uncertain future for Malaysia Airlines

The news was hardly surprising considering the airline’s recent financial woes, but Malaysia Airlines recently announced that they had gone into receivership. Fortunately, it seems that the airline will continue operating normally in spite of this, at least in the short to medium term. We do know that the airline will remain a part of … Continued

8 Jun 2015 Malaysia Airlines

Velocity points earned with Agoda not posting

As Agoda is a partner of Virgin Australia, Velocity frequent flyers should be able to earn points by booking hotel accommodation online through the Agoda booking portal. However, some of our members have reported that the entitled points have not been posting properly. Are our members doing something wrong or is there a problem on … Continued

6 Jun 2015 Virgin Australia

Frequent Flyers Anonymous

Our members have some confessions to make. This week they discuss the excuses offered to friends and family when trying to explain their frequent flying. While some travel frequently for work, flying is an exciting yet misunderstood hobby for others. For some of our fortunate members, regular overseas travel is considered normal. Some members fly … Continued

4 Jun 2015 Travel Lifestyle

Australia to Israel, via… Namibia!

The Qantas oneworld awards are arguably one of the best ways to use Qantas points. For 140,000 Qantas points one can travel up to 35,000 miles, with up to 5 stopovers anywhere in the world along the way. The only other rules are that there needs to be travel on at least two oneworld airlines … Continued

3 Jun 2015 Flight Reviews

Pros & Cons of Qantas Club membership

Complimentary lounge access is an included benefit for frequent flyers with Gold or equivalent elite airline status. However for infrequent flyers who don’t fly enough to earn such status, there is an option to purchase lounge access. There are a number of programs, such as Priority Pass, that offer lounge access for a fee. For … Continued

2 Jun 2015 Airports & Lounges