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.

Airlines Limit Hand Sanitiser Quantities

Airlines Limit Hand Sanitiser Quantities

Health experts have said that only hand sanitiser with an alcohol content of at least 60% has a chance of being effective against COVID-19. However, items with such a high alcohol content pose a fire risk and are therefore restricted by airlines. Virgin Australia is warning passengers, for example, that: Many hand sanitisers contain flammable … Continued

Coronavirus graphic

COVID-19 Travel Update: 13 March 2020

Yesterday, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. The evolving coronavirus situation is making overseas travel increasingly difficult. Even if you happen to have a pre-existing travel insurance policy that covers coronavirus – and the health risks aside – countries are increasingly placing new entry restrictions and many flights are being cancelled. Meanwhile, airlines … Continued

British Airways Club World meal service

Wide Open British Airways Award Availability from Sydney to London

With the constantly-changing international travel restrictions at the moment, you’d be forgiven if you wanted to avoid overseas travel right now. But if you still want – or need – to travel to London over the coming year, now could actually be a very good time to book. Award availability is wide open – even in … Continued

QantasLink 717 economy class

Qantas Sends Boeing 717 to Coffs Harbour

QantasLink will switch one of its five daily flights between Sydney and Coffs Harbour to a Boeing 717 aircraft. The change will take effect from Sunday, 29 March 2020. It comes just weeks before Tigerair withdraws from the Sydney-Coffs Harbour and Melbourne-Coffs Harbour routes. Currently, the Sydney-Coffs Harbour route is served by QantasLink exclusively with … Continued

Virgin Australia Reopens Airport Lounges

Virgin Australia Offers Free International Flight Changes

Virgin Australia has now followed Qantas and Jetstar in waiving change fees on international bookings until 31 March 2020. Virgin’s policy is similar to the Qantas & Jetstar change fee waiver, but it’s more generous as it also applies to existing bookings made prior to 10 March 2020. Unlike with Qantas, Virgin Australia guests also … Continued

Qantas Temporarily Shuts Singapore First Lounge

Qantas will temporarily close its brand new Singapore First Lounge from next month. The closure is expected to last from 20 April until mid-September 2020, although it could be reduced or extended depending on how the COVID-19 situation evolves. The Qantas First Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport only opened in late 2019. It’s currently less … Continued

Qantas and Jetstar planes

Qantas, Jetstar Waive Change Fees for New International Bookings

Qantas and Jetstar will both waive change fees on new international bookings made between today and 31 March 2020. It’s good news for travellers that are hesitant to book international travel amid the current coronavirus uncertainty. However, the Qantas change fee waiver is not as generous as those introduced by many other overseas airlines in … Continued

Qantas Extends International Cancellations Well into 2021

Qantas Grounds A380s, Redirects Kangaroo Route

Qantas will ground two-thirds of its A380 fleet, re-route its Sydney-London flight via Perth, and delay the launch of flights to Chicago as it responds to a sudden collapse in demand for air travel due to coronavirus. Qantas also announced today that it will temporarily suspend flights from Melbourne and Brisbane to San Francisco, as … Continued

Garuda Indonesia A330-900neo

Garuda Indonesia Brings A330-900neo to Sydney

Garuda Indonesia will fly its brand new Airbus A330-900neo aircraft with upgraded Business class seats between Sydney and Bali for the next few weeks. According to Routes Online, Garuda Indonesia will use A330-900neo aircraft on the Sydney-Denpasar route for two weeks, beginning this Friday, 13 March 2020. It’s only a temporary upgrade though, as the … Continued