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More Qantas pain due this month

For the past few years Qantas customers have become used to the bad news. With each 6 monthly financial results announcement, the chances of new equipment, routes and services diminish. This month it appears it will be no different. With the results due soon, news is already leaking out that further job cuts are going … Continued

19 Aug 2014 Qantas

Cost-effective skiing holidays for beginners

Thanks to the strong Aussie dollar, travel overseas to most countries is close to the cheapest it has been in a long time. When it comes to family holidays, it seems that overseas is just as competitive as local options. But are there options when it comes to Skiing, is overseas cheaper, or is it … Continued

18 Aug 2014 Destinations

Manners don’t always maketh the Frequent Flyer

If you have ever spent time people watching, it’s probably fair to say you may have noticed some trends in the way folk act. Depending on the location and event, you might see the best of human behaviour, or you might see the worst. Many of our members spend considerable time in airline lounges, and … Continued

16 Aug 2014 Airports & Lounges

Hire Car Hassles: A bill that “Hertz”

One member has discovered the hard way that it pays to be overly cautious when dealing with hire car companies. This member rented a car from Hertz Sydney airport which upon pick-up was dented and scratched. The damage was pointed out to the customer service representative and our member was told not to worry. Upon … Continued

14 Aug 2014 Car Hire

Europe with Air India

For something a little bit different to the norm, this week’s trip report starts in Singapore. Despite there being many non-stop options to Europe on offer, our traveller is tempted by a bargain priced business class fare, with a catch. It was with some trepidation that I booked Air India flights to Europe. Whilst Air … Continued

13 Aug 2014 Flight Reviews

Malaysia – the land of opportunity for Qantas?

It’s no surprise that events of recent months have affected Malaysia Airlines badly. The run of bad luck or misfortune has seen passenger loads drop significantly and deep discounting on many routes, including traffic to Australia. With heavy competition from low cost competitor Air Asia, some of our members feel the One World Airline could … Continued

12 Aug 2014 Qantas

To tip or not to tip

If you’re a first time traveller to America, chances are you will not be prepared for the tipping culture. Thanks to a lack of a standard minimum wage, tipping for many employees is the bulk portion of their wages. As a result, a wad of $1 bills is almost a necessity, no doubt also helping … Continued

11 Aug 2014 Travel Money

Passports vanish in-flight

This week, one of our members asks a question about a situation no one would want to find themselves in Last week I received a panicked call from a friend of a friend (person A) who had just landed at BKK for the start of a 2 week TH holiday. Somewhere between boarding their flight … Continued

9 Aug 2014 In Flight

Booking Secrets Revealed!

One member seeks the advice of our booking-savvy members to determine the cheapest way to book flights and accommodation. Our member has had experience with sites such as Expedia and agents such as Flight Centre and wants to get the low-down on the best deals. Rule 1 of booking success, according to our members, is … Continued

7 Aug 2014 Planning & Booking

Sydney, Singapore, Switzerland, Scotland in Singapore Airlines Suites

This week’s trip report has a bit of a theme. Not only do the countries being visited have something in common, even the method of getting there meets the criteria. Surely the only way to visit Singapore, Switzerland, Scotland and Sydney is to fly Singapore Airlines Suites? First time poster as a trip report, so … Continued

6 Aug 2014 Flight Reviews

Is Australia still a two airline country?

From the late 1940s until the 1990s, Australia operated under a two airline policy. That policy put in place a law that specified only two airlines could operate the routes between major cities. Over the time it was in place, travel by air was expensive, and often inflexible. For some routes, there would be two … Continued

5 Aug 2014 Virgin Australia

A cheap flight via Kiev – worth the risk?

One of our members this week asks a question that would have probably not got too much interest a month ago. Sadly with the downing of the Malaysian Airlines over the Ukraine in recent weeks, the question has very much become a topical one. So, I’m looking at doing a round trip from Berlin to … Continued

4 Aug 2014 Planning & Booking