Latest news

Qantas reinstates Perth-Singapore flights, but they’re not daily

After a year-long hiatus and months of speculation, Qantas recently announced they are resuming flights between Perth and Singapore, with services to resume in June. The route was operated for many years until it was cut from the route map in an apparent cost-cutting exercise last year. The move angered many Perth-based flyers, who were … Continued

27 Apr 2015 Qantas

Top Travel Apps

This week our members discuss their favourite apps for overseas travel. And there are certainly a wide range of different apps used by our members, for a large variety of purposes. Most our members use apps covering many different functionalities, such as this respondent: Tripit for my itinerary, Citymaps2go for offline maps w/ GPS, MyFlights … Continued

25 Apr 2015 Travel Tools & Technology

Stuck between an obese flyer and a hard place

One member this week bemoans having to share their seat with a fellow passenger whose size is not well-equipped for a standard seat. In a case of seat invasion, our member had a very uncomfortable journey. The situation is not fair on anyone involved- it can be embarrassing for the overweight passenger and uncomfortable for … Continued

23 Apr 2015 Travel Lifestyle

Magical Venice – the canals, the food, the people

Our member Flying mermaid recently began an exciting, whirlwind tour around the world in the magical Italian city of Venice. The trip began with a flying start, if you’ll pardon the pun, in Qantas first class on the A380. The journey to the city of canals was almost smooth, except for a missed connection resulting … Continued

22 Apr 2015 Destinations

Maximising the full first class experience

Flying in first class on an international flight is something many of us would love to do if we had the chance. Luckily, thanks to many of the tricks discussed on AFF, first class flying is not out of reach. But for someone who has never experienced the luxury of the pointy end of the … Continued

21 Apr 2015 Qantas

Finally, free food on all Virgin flights

Virgin Australia began offering free food on all domestic flights last week. The news has been largely welcomed by our members, who have long complained of Virgin’s lack of consistency when it comes to in-flight service. Until now, those on flights between the east coast and Perth already received a complimentary hot meal. However the … Continued

20 Apr 2015 Virgin Australia

IHG Rewards Club enhancements – Positive or not?

Our members are divided over changes recently announced by Intercontinental Hotels Group to its loyalty program, IHG Rewards Club. Are the changes a positive thing for customers or not? A major part of the announcement is the creation of a new tier above Platinum, which is currently the highest tier. At the same time, IHG … Continued

18 Apr 2015 IHG One Rewards

Travel Insurance Trap

This week our members discuss paid insurance policies versus credit card-based travel insurance for international travel. One member is concerned about the fine print and asks our members views about whether ‘free’ international travel insurance attached to credit cards provides viable coverage. Our members have lived and learned and can provide some key tips in … Continued

16 Apr 2015 Credit Cards

Cherry blossoms and mouth-watering Japanese cuisine

We’ve been privileged recently on AFF to see a number of quality trip reports from first-time writers. The latest comes from our member KitKat, who recently travelled to Japan in cherry blossom season. Having missed the cherry blossoms in Seoul last year, we decided to give it a go this time in Japan. We would … Continued

15 Apr 2015 Destinations

Hotel recommendations in the nation’s capital

Ahead of an upcoming trip to Canberra, one member asks for advice on hotels in the national capital from our community. I will be travelling to Canberra early May to receive an posthumous award on behalf of my father. I need somewhere central to stay, nice but not too expensive if you understand. It is … Continued

14 Apr 2015 Hotel Loyalty Programs

Airfares to the USA hit rock bottom

The recent drop in the price of airfares between Australia and the United States is like music to the ears of many a traveller. In recent months we have seen some very good sales on this route, with Qantas selling off-peak tickets for under $1,200 and Virgin Australia undercutting that even more. But a current … Continued

13 Apr 2015 Air New Zealand

The Pitfalls and Benefits of Mystery Hotel Bookings

This week our members discuss the advantages and pitfalls of booking mystery hotels. Hotel booking sites Wotif.com, Lastminute.com.au and Hotwire.com are among a range of websites that offer such mystery hotel deals. Customers can blindly book a hotel, which remains a surprise until after the room has been paid for. The sites promise big discounts, … Continued

11 Apr 2015 Hotel Loyalty Programs