Author: Matt Graham
Australia’s International Border Reopening on 21 February 2022
Australia will finally reopen its international border to vaccinated tourists and anyone with an eligible visa to enter the country on 21 February 2022, almost two years since the border was closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement was made today by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Home Affairs Minister Karen Andrews … Continued
Why Keep Booking with Airlines that Screw You Over?
Over the past few years, the same complaints about airlines have appeared time and time again. Some of the most common ones have been airlines making it difficult to get a refund, as well as lengthy call centre wait times and non-existent customer service. Lots of airline customers have put up with bad experiences or terrible … Continued
Emirates Skywards’ Confusing Classic Reward Rules
When redeeming Emirates Skywards miles to book Emirates Classic Reward flights, there are two categories available – Saver and Flex Plus reward tickets. Saver rewards cost fewer miles than Flex Plus rewards, but Flex Plus rewards are available on more flights. Seems simple, right? Well, not so fast… For some reason, Emirates also attaches additional … Continued
Virgin Australia Delays Sydney-Canberra Restart Again
Virgin Australia has pushed back the resumption of direct flights between Sydney and Canberra – a route that it hasn’t served for almost two years. In early December 2021, Virgin announced that it would return to the Sydney-Canberra route in partnership with Link Airways from 30 January 2022. The flights would be marketed by Virgin … Continued
Podcast #77: Getting COVID in Fiji
One of the biggest concerns that Australians have about going overseas at the moment, understandably, is catching COVID-19 while away and getting stuck somewhere. Unfortunately, this happened recently to Australian Frequent Flyer forum moderator Bill MacCubbin, who you may know on the forum as straitman. Bill recently caught COVID in Fiji but has since recovered … Continued
Getting COVID in Fiji – AIR077
Many Australians are understandably a bit wary of travelling overseas at the moment in case they catch COVID-19 while they’re away. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to Australian Frequent Flyer forum moderator Bill MacCubbin (whose AFF username is “straitman”) on a recent trip to Fiji. But it wasn’t really a horror story at … Continued
No Qantas International Lounge Access for Oneworld Business Class
Business Class passengers departing from Australia on Oneworld airlines other than Qantas are being refused access to the Qantas First Lounges, despite the Qantas Business Lounges being closed indefinitely. In fact, passengers departing from most Australian airports in Business Class on airlines such as Qatar Airways, American Airlines or Cathay Pacific do not currently have … Continued
New Qantas Reward Code Enables BP Redemptions
Observant Qantas Frequent Flyer members may have noticed that a 4-digit “Reward Code” was added to their digital membership cards on Monday. This new Reward Code facilitates in-store purchases using your Qantas Frequent Flyer points, starting with BP petrol stations. Redeeming Qantas points at BP Since March 2020, you can already earn Qantas points at … Continued
Why Airline Caterers Love “Ambient” Snacks
When Lufthansa announced it would introduce buy-on-board snacks on its long-haul flights last year, it promised “high quality” products that would better cater to the “diverse needs of guests”. In reality, the German airline just replaced the complimentary mid-flight refreshment on long-haul routes such as Frankfurt-Los Angeles with the option to purchase from an overpriced … Continued