Author: Matt Graham
Matt Graham
Matt was the editor of Australian Frequent Flyer from 2015 until 2025. His passion for travel has taken him to more than 100 countries - with a lot of help along the way from frequent flyer points! Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. His interests include aviation, economics & 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 @Mattg.
How to Improve Airport Security Queues
Earlier this year, Qantas CEO Alan Joyce infamously blamed inexperienced and “not match fit” customers for lengthy delays at airport security checkpoints. “I went through the airports on Wednesday and people forget they need to take out their laptops, they have to take out their aerosols,” Joyce told the Sydney Morning Herald during the Easter holiday … Continued
AirAsia X Challenges on Sydney-Auckland Route
Malaysian low-cost carrier AirAsia X will launch flights between Sydney and Auckland in November 2022, bringing with it cheap Economy fares and Premium Flatbed seats at the front of the plane. The fifth-freedom flight across the Tasman will be a continuation of AirAsia’s Kuala Lumpur-Sydney service, which briefly restarted in February this year after a two-year … Continued
Emirates Reopens Most Australian Airport Lounges
The Emirates Lounges in Sydney, Melbourne and Perth will reopen from this week, with demand for international travel having well and truly returned. This is good news for eligible Emirates passengers flying from Sydney, Melbourne or Perth to Dubai who now have access to Emirates’ excellent airport lounges again on departure. It’s also good news … Continued
A Creative Route to the USA with Qantas & Velocity Points
If you’ve tried to use Qantas points or redeem Velocity points for Business Class seats to the United States lately, you’ve probably noticed that there isn’t much reward seat availability right now! Occasionally you might get lucky and find a direct Qantas flight to Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas/Fort Worth or Vancouver (just across the … Continued
Qantas Fixes Alaska Airlines Classic Reward Pricing
Qantas has finally fixed an error with the way its website prices Classic Flight Rewards on Alaska Airlines after more than a year. Last month, Australian Frequent Flyer highlighted a glitch with the Qantas website where Business Classic Reward seats on Alaska Airlines were being incorrectly priced at the higher “First Class” level. The Qantas website even … Continued
How to Buy & Redeem United MileagePlus Miles
Buying United miles during a promotion can be a clever way to save money on future Star Alliance Business and First class flights, as the cost of the miles is often lower than the cost of an equivalent airfare. United MileagePlus miles can be redeemed for premium cabin award flights across the entire Star Alliance … Continued
No Availability: What’s the Point of Buying LifeMiles in 2022?
LifeMiles, the frequent flyer program of Star Alliance member Avianca, is known for its regular and generous promotions that make it cheap to buy miles. For example, during the current offer running from 4-26 July 2022, you could earn 125-145% bonus LifeMiles on all purchases. Before the pandemic, buying LifeMiles during a promo was often … Continued
Star Alliance Status Match with TAP Air Portugal
Star Alliance member TAP Air Portugal’s status match offer is back in 2022! If you currently hold elite status with Qatar Airways, Emirates, Etihad, British Airways, American Airlines or selected other airlines, this could be your ticket to fast-tracked Star Alliance Gold status. Through the TAP Portugal status match promotion, you could instantly receive Star … Continued
Qantas Abandons Passengers Mid-Trip
When booking a series of flights on one ticket, you would expect to be looked after if the first flight was delayed and you missed your onward connection as a result. But this is not what happened to an AFF member who recently booked a Qantas ticket to Greece. In fact, Qantas abandoned the passengers … Continued