Author: Matt Graham
Plaza Premium Airport Lounge Shuffle
Plaza Premium has exited the Priority Pass program, while introducing its own lounge visit passes. These are just some of a raft of changes to airport lounge access arrangements that came into effect earlier this month. Here’s a summary of what’s changed in the recent airport lounge shuffle… Plaza Premium exits Priority Pass program Since … Continued
Air New Zealand 787-9 Business Premier Review (Auckland-Perth)
There are currently two airlines offering Business Class across the Tasman. Qantas offers Business Class on all its Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 flights between Australia and New Zealand, while Air New Zealand offers what it calls “Business Premier” on its Boeing 787 Dreamliner services. After flying with Qantas to New Zealand during COVID-19, I … Continued
Podcast #64: CHOICE’s Plan to Fix the Travel Cancellation Chaos
Consumer group CHOICE recently surveyed more than 4,000 Australians whose travel plans were disrupted by COVID-19. Unfortunately, their findings do not paint a pretty picture of the travel industry. This week, CHOICE published its findings in a report called Consumer protection for Australian travellers: a plan for clarity, consistency and fairness. According to CHOICE, only 17% … Continued
CHOICE’s Plan to Fix the Travel Cancellation Chaos – AIR064
Earlier this year, consumer group CHOICE surveyed more than 4,000 Australians whose travel plans were disrupted by COVID-19. This week, CHOICE published its findings in a report called Consumer protection for Australian travellers: a plan for clarity, consistency and fairness. And the findings are pretty damning for the travel industry. Many complained that it … Continued
Qantas Airport Service Desk Closures Disastrous
Qantas announced last year that it would close airport service desks and sales counters as part of a cost-cutting drive. Many Australian frequent flyers were concerned that this would lead to disastrous consequences during disruptions or when urgent assistance is needed. Rather than having airport staff on hand to help, customers would be forced to … Continued
Etihad Quietly Drops Multiple Partner Airlines
Etihad Guest has quietly ended its partnerships with Czech Airlines and Brazil’s GOL Airlines. It comes just a month after Etihad Airways also ended its partnership with Air Seychelles. Etihad Guest members are no longer able to earn or redeem miles with any of these airlines. But in some good news, Etihad Airways has recently … Continued
Queensland Raises Hotel Quarantine Fees
The Queensland government has increased the cost of hotel quarantine for passengers arriving in the state from overseas or from declared COVID-19 hotspots in Australia. From 1 July 2021, the cost of 14 days of quarantine for one adult in a Brisbane hotel rose from $2,800 to $3,220. The price for two adults sharing a … Continued
How to Prevent Avianca LifeMiles Expiring
LifeMiles, the popular frequent flyer program of Avianca, has until now been extending miles that were due to expire during the pandemic. But these extensions will come to an end on 31 July 2021. This means that many LifeMiles members are now at risk of losing their miles from the end of this month! With … Continued
There is No Queue to Return to Australia During COVID-19
Last week, the Australian government halved the cap on the number of people allowed to return to Australia each week. For tens of thousands of Australians still stranded overseas, this will have disastrous consequences. Following the announcement last Friday, Facebook groups for Australians stranded overseas were flooded with posts by stressed Aussies who now face … Continued