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Retired pilot Ron Haack in his military flying days

Podcast #96: 49 Years in the Cockpit

Retired pilot Ron Haack flew for 49 years, starting his career in the Royal Australian Air Force and finishing up flying Airbus A330s and Boeing 747s for Qantas. In episode 96 of the AFF on Air podcast, Ron joins Matt for a chat about the life of a pilot and some of the more challenging … Continued

29 Oct 2022 AFF on Air Podcast
AFF on AIR podcast artwork

49 Years in the Cockpit – AIR096

  In the episode, Matt chats to Ron Haack, a recently retired pilot. Ron began his career in the Royal Australian Air Force and then flew for Qantas for 24 years, flying Airbus A330s and Boeing 747-400s.   Episode contents: 0:55 – Fortnightly news round-up 8:48 – Interview with Ron Haack 34:00 – Feedback from … Continued

29 Oct 2022 AFF on Air (blubrry)
Panoramic urban city aerial night view with crosstown traffic in ginza, tokyo, Japan

How Will Virgin Australia Launch Flights to Tokyo?

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Virgin Australia won a daily slot to operate flights to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Virgin prepared for months to launch daily Airbus A330-200 flights from Brisbane to Tokyo, which were to be operated in partnership with All Nippon Airways. The airline even began selling tickets and had planned a big … Continued

27 Oct 2022 Virgin Australia
Air New Zealand Boeing 787-9 Economy cabin

Air NZ Removes “Seat Only” Fares to Perth, Hawaii & Tahiti

Over the past decade or so, there has been a clear trend in the airline industry to “unbundle” airfares. For the increasingly prominent low-cost carriers, selling cheap tickets with optional add-ons is a core part of the business model. But even some full-service legacy carriers have launched “light” or “basic” fares in recent years which … Continued

26 Oct 2022 Air New Zealand
Qantas Boeing 737-800 Business Class

Sydney-Melbourne in Qantas Business Class: 737 or A330?

When flying from Sydney to Melbourne with Qantas, you’ll often have the choice to fly on a narrow-body Boeing 737 or a wide-body Airbus A330. The Airbus A330 is a more popular aircraft with most passengers because it has a better Business Class product and is more spacious. On the Qantas A330, all Business Class … Continued

26 Oct 2022 Qantas
Link Airways Saab 340 at Canberra Airport

Review: Canberra-Sydney with Link Airways (Virgin Australia)

Since March 2022, Link Airways has been operating the Canberra-Sydney route on behalf of Virgin Australia using Saab 340 turboprop aircraft. These flights are marketed by Virgin Australia and carry “VA” flight numbers. The usual Velocity Frequent Flyer benefits apply in the same way that they would for a Virgin Australia flight, meaning you can … Continued

25 Oct 2022 Flight Reviews
Cancelled flights

Jetstar Strands Passengers in Bali for 18 Days

A family of four was left stranded in Bali for 18 days after Jetstar cancelled their flight home and didn’t offer an alternative flight until more than two weeks later. After a holiday in Indonesia, AFF member Hutch0007 and their family was booked to return to Melbourne on a Jetstar flight departing on 16 September 2022. … Continued

24 Oct 2022 Jetstar
Sunday's group tour

Newcastle Gathering Marks Return of AFF Events!

Over the weekend, around 40 AFF members travelled to Newcastle, NSW for the 15th annual weekend get-together. A long-standing Australian Frequent Flyer tradition, these weekends are a great opportunity to meet other frequent flyers and fellow points enthusiasts to share travel tips and see some of the sights at the destination. Last year’s event, also … Continued

24 Oct 2022 Travel Lifestyle
Flight attendant serving drinks to passengers on board

Giving Gifts to the Cabin Crew: A Good Idea?

Being a flight attendant may seem like a glamorous job, but it can also be a thankless one. Airline cabin crew are highly trained, work long hours, put up with a lot of difficult passengers and at the end of the day, are responsible for the safety of their passengers – a tough job that … Continued

20 Oct 2022 In Flight
Architecture of downtown of Johannesburg, South Africa

Qantas Pauses Perth-Johannesburg Ticket Sales

Update (25 October): Due to issues with Border Force and customs processing inbound passengers at Terminal 3 of Perth Airport, Qantas has cancelled its planned launch of Perth-Jakarta flights and the Perth-Johannesburg route will only run until March 2023 at this stage. Qantas has temporarily removed all Perth-Johannesburg flights from sale, as it finalises customs … Continued

19 Oct 2022 Qantas
Qantas Boeing 737-800 at Melbourne Airport

Qantas 737 Trans-Tasman Economy Class Review

New Zealand is one of the most important international destinations for Qantas. Competing with Air New Zealand on many routes, Qantas currently offers 182 trans-Tasman flights per week using a mix of Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 aircraft. While Air New Zealand is effectively a low-cost carrier across the ditch, charging extra for things like … Continued

19 Oct 2022 Flight Reviews
Delta Air Lines Boeing 717 at Montreal Airport

Marriott Ends Bonus Points on Transfers to 3 Airlines

Although it’s a hotel loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy can be very useful as a means of collecting frequent flyer points or miles with overseas frequent flyer programs. Marriott Bonvoy points can be earned in Australia by staying at hotels, transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards or even buying points directly from Marriott. Those points … Continued

19 Oct 2022 Marriott Bonvoy