Podcast #59: Flying to New Zealand in 2021

Qantas First Lounge departures board
Flights to New Zealand have returned on the Qantas First Lounge departures board in Sydney. Photo: Matt Graham.

The trans-Tasman travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand is now well and truly open. In fact, thousands of Aussies have already flocked to the land of the long white cloud to take advantage of it!

In this episode, your podcast host Matt Graham chats to Alan Lam from Netwave Travel (a.k.a. madrooster on the AFF forum) about the trans-Tasman bubble and what you need to know before travelling to New Zealand right now. Find out how the international travel experience has changed, what flights are now available and whether travel insurance will cover issues relating to COVID-19.

With flights to New Zealand resuming, the Tourist Refund Scheme (TRS) offices in Australian airports are reopening. This means you can now once again claim back the GST on items you’ve bought in Australia when leaving the country (for example, to go to New Zealand). The interview with Alan explains how to take advantage of this.

You can contact Alan by emailing alan[at]netwavetravel[dot]com.

Also in this episode, Australia has banned inbound flights from India. And what happens to your frequent flyer points after you die?

Plus, as always, the podcast begins with a full round-up of the most important Australian airline & loyalty program news from the past fortnight.

Listen now to AFF on AIR Episode 59: “Flying to New Zealand in 2021”

You can also view the episode notes. If you’d like to discuss this episode, ask Matt a question or suggest a topic for a future episode, you can join the discussion on the AFF on Air Discussion thread.

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The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.
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