Author: Matt Graham
NSW to Quadruple International Arrival Cap in Late October
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian today confirmed that the state will reinstate the higher international arrival caps that had been in place until July in around a month. As part of the NSW government’s 3-stage reopening plan announced today, vaccinated NSW residents will gain a little more freedom once 70% of the state’s population is fully vaccinated against … Continued
Should You Pay Reward Flight Taxes with Points?
When booking a reward flight using Qantas or Velocity points, you’ll also need to pay any applicable taxes & carrier charges in addition to the points. This extra co-payment includes Virgin’s $11 carrier charge or Qantas’ $14 carrier charge per domestic flight (it’s higher for most international flights), plus any third-party airport fees, security charges … Continued
BA Executive Club Welcomes Australian Members
British Airways has removed a bizarre rule which prevented Australian and New Zealand residents from joining its Executive Club frequent flyer program. For many years, Australian and New Zealand residents have been technically excluded from joining the British Airways Executive Club program. The rule was a hangover from the time when Qantas and British Airways … Continued
When Will Velocity Reinstate Partner Airline Redemptions?
Velocity Frequent Flyer is finally preparing to bring back reward seat redemptions on Virgin Australia international flights, as well as flights operated by partner airlines. These redemption options have been unavailable since April 2020. While this is welcome news, it’s still unclear when exactly Velocity will reopen international redemption bookings and which partner airlines will … Continued
NSW Trials 7-Day Home Quarantine
The NSW government will next month commence a trial of 7-day home quarantine for a small number of travellers returning from overseas, instead of the current 14 days of hotel quarantine. The NSW pilot program will operate for four weeks. NSW Health will choose around 175 people to participate in its home quarantine trial. All … Continued
Podcast #69: Singapore Airlines on Operating to Australia in the Pandemic
Flying internationally to or from Australia over the past 18 months has been extremely challenging for passengers. This is especially so for the tens of thousands of Australians who remain stuck overseas in September 2021. Previous episodes of the AFF on Air podcast have investigated the challenge of returning to Australia from a passenger’s perspective. But … Continued
Singapore Airlines on Operating to Australia in the Pandemic – AIR069
Many previous episodes of the AFF on Air podcast have explored the difficulty of getting back to Australia during the pandemic. Navigating the current system is clearly a nightmare for travellers. In this episode, we’ll get an airline’s perspective. Karl Schubert is the Public Relations Manager for Singapore Airlines in the South West Pacific … Continued
New Round of Velocity Status Extensions (September 2021)
Virgin Australia has announced another new status extension offer for many of its Velocity Frequent Flyer Silver, Gold and Platinum members. Depending on which offer they qualify for, selected Velocity members will now get to enjoy their status for an extra five or eight months. Velocity Gold and Platinum members who previously participated in last … Continued
Hilton Honors Extends Status Until March 2023
Hilton Hotels will extend the status tiers of all Hilton Honors members for another year. All Hilton Honors Silver, Gold and Diamond members will now automatically receive a status extension until 31 March 2023. Any nights that members had completed in 2021 will not go to waste, with Hilton extending rollover nights for members at … Continued