Author: Matt Graham
All Australian State Borders Have Reopened
For the first time in almost one year, there are no longer restrictions on interstate travel between any Australian states & territories as of this morning. This has not happened since Tasmania became the first state to close to all non-essential interstate travellers on 20 March 2020 – almost exactly a year ago. On that … Continued
ANZ Rewards Hopes to Reinstate Velocity Points Transfers Soon
ANZ Rewards members should be able to transfer their points to Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program again “in the not-too-distant future”. But ANZ hasn’t yet committed to an exact date for Velocity point redemptions to resume. ANZ, alongside all other Australian banks, suspended point transfers from its credit card loyalty program to Velocity Frequent Flyer … Continued
Sensational Qantas South Australia Sale
Qantas has launched an excellent sale on flights to South Australia, with $198 return flights to Adelaide available from Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne. Full-service flights from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to regional destinations in South Australia (via Adelaide), including Kangaroo Island, Port Lincoln, Whyalla and Mt Gambier are also on sale for $338 … Continued
Half-Price Flights in New Tourism Support Package
The Australian government will subsidise half-price flights to 13 holiday destinations across Australia including Gold Coast, Cairns, Alice Springs and Launceston from April until July 2021. It’s part of a $1.2 billion Tourism and Aviation Recovery Package announced today. The 50% discount on domestic flights will be available on up to 800,000 tickets to and … Continued
The Problem with Australia’s Pre-Flight COVID-19 Test Requirement
Since 22 January 2021, anyone flying to Australia from overseas is required to get a COVID-19 PCR test no more than 72 hours before their first flight’s departure (and produce a certificate showing a negative result). This is in addition to the 14 days of hotel quarantine on arrival in Australia. “These [new measures] will … Continued
QantasLink Adds Seasonal Cooma, Albury Flights
QantasLink will add three new seasonal routes to Cooma and Albury in NSW for this year’s winter ski season. The Qantas subsidiary will fly from Sydney and Brisbane to Cooma from 1 July until 26 September 2021. During the same period, QantasLink will also add flights from Brisbane to Albury, supplementing existing flights from Sydney … Continued
Velocity Extends Discover Gold & Status Rewards
Virgin Australia has given an extra two months of Gold status to Velocity Frequent Flyer members who registered for the “Discover Gold” status match in December 2020, extending the total trial period from three to five months. Velocity members participating in this offer will now receive Velocity Gold benefits until May 2021. Members will also … Continued
Rex Boeing 737 Business Class Review
When Rex launched Boeing 737 jet services last week in direct competition with Qantas & Virgin, it also introduced Business Class for the first time. Rex’s Business Class fares are priced sharply, but what’s the new Rex Business Class experience like? I found out on a flight from Melbourne to Sydney… Flight Details Flight number ZL102 … Continued
Podcast #55: The Alice Springs “Plane Graveyard”
Visitors to Alice Springs, a town in Australia’s red centre, have been greeted by an unusual sight since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The town is also now the temporary home of Singapore Airlines A380s, Cathay Pacific 777s, and many other airliners grounded by the pandemic. In total, there are now around 150 planes … Continued