Author: Staff Writers
Staff Writers
License to travel (not)
This week Jetstar’s ”unaccompanied minor policy” has come under fire by our members. Jetstar has a policy that children who are not yet attending secondary school are regarded as unable to travel independently. Two 14 year old girls were denied boarding as they did not have adequate proof that they were in attendance at secondary … Continued
Spending 1.3 Million points on a toaster (and the odd flight)
It’s well known amongst our members that toasters are not exactly the best value when it comes to using points. With concern over the financial future of Qantas, many are looking at using their points while they still have some value. If you have only got 7,500 points, a toaster may not be bad value! … Continued
Transcontinental Seat Wars
With the demise of the 767 as the Qantas mainstay for Transcontinental flights, much focus has been on its replacement, the Airbus A330. With Qantas operating aircraft that feature a 10 year old cabin, they were always going to struggle. After all, Virgin’s new deliveries featured a seat in Business Class that converted to a … Continued
Cancel or Credit – Travel Insurance Woes
Stuff happens! Especially when it comes to expensive overseas travel arrangements. Some call it Murphy’s Law, the principle that if something can go wrong it will. On that basis, most people will purchase travel insurance to make sure they are covered. As our government says on its smart traveller website, if you cannot afford Travel … Continued
The loving and loathing of passport stamps
For some time now, Australia and New Zealand authorities have not stamped the passports of residents when they travel overseas. If you are a frequent traveller, a passport can soon start to fill with all those stamps. Often that means an expensive replacement well before the expiry of the original passport. While the move does … Continued
Woolies on the Way out?
One member has experienced some intense surveying from Woolworths about the utility of earning frequent flyer points via their Everyday Rewards program. This has led to speculation that Woolies may be looking for a more attractive incentive for shoppers than Qantas points. This speculation has caused quite a stir for our members who enjoy the … Continued
From Singapore to Hel(l) with the Finns
For quite a few years, the Finnish airline Finnair has been offering very competitive fares to Europe through their Asian services. Six or seven years ago those services often made great status runs, with cheap Business class flights between Bangkok and either Singapore or Hong Kong. These days they have just the point to point … Continued
When Duty Free is Gold
Airports are mistakenly thought by many to be there to service the airlines and its travellers. While that may have been the case up until late last century, the privatisation of the major airports has seen a quantum change in the focus of many airports. Thanks to their slightly different planning laws that generally are … Continued
Vietnam visa changes
Most of our members hold Australian passports, one of the more widely accepted visa free passports in the world. But not all countries are happy to grant an instant visa on arrival. Some prefer you to give advance notice, or apply for one outside the country. Vietnam, like many of its neighbours, is one such … Continued