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.

The Best Use of Qantas Points is in the Air

Qantas Axes Sydney-Beijing Flights (Again)

Qantas will stop flying from Sydney to the Chinese capital of Beijing from the end of March 2020. The flying kangaroo had recommenced flights from Sydney to Beijing in March 2017 as QF107/QF108, following an 8-year hiatus from the route. But the route has been underperforming for some time. Qantas initially responded by cutting service … Continued

Thrifty, Hertz and Europcar counters

Driving Overseas: Do You Need an International Driving Permit?

If you’re planning to rent a vehicle or drive overseas using your Australian licence, you may need an International Driving Permit. It’s something that is often overlooked by Australian travellers, but it could cause a lot of problems for you if you don’t have one. An International Driving Permit (IDP) is essentially an internationally-recognised translation … Continued

Sleeping in bed

How Qantas Tracks You in Your Sleep

Earlier this year, Qantas started offering Qantas Frequent Flyer points while you sleep. By downloading the Qantas Wellbeing App, you can use the sleep tracker feature to earn up to 5 Qantas points per night for sleeping. Earning frequent flyer points for sleeping may seem like a good deal. But no loyalty program would award … Continued

Air New Zealand A320 at Auckland Airport

Air New Zealand A321neo Economy Review (Melbourne-Auckland)

The Airbus A321neo is the latest addition to Air New Zealand’s short-haul fleet. Featuring 214 Economy class seats, these aircraft are used on trans-Tasman and Pacific Island flights. In this review, we test Air New Zealand’s trans-Tasman Economy product from Melbourne to Auckland. Flight Details Flight number NZ726 Route Melbourne (MEL) to Auckland (AKL) Aircraft … Continued

Coles Click & Collect boxes at MEL

Pick Up Your Coles Shopping at Melbourne Airport

Time-poor frequent flyers can now pre-order and collect their grocery shopping right outside the airport after landing in Melbourne. Coles Supermarkets has installed Click&Collect smart lockers outside Terminal 4 at Melbourne Airport. These lockers are refrigerated to keep your shopping fresh until your flight lands. The Click&Collect service at Melbourne Airport is free for Coles … Continued

Skyline of Hong Kong at sunset

Virgin Australia Suspends Melbourne-Hong Kong Route

Virgin Australia will withdraw from the Melbourne-Hong Kong route, with the last flights taking off on 10 February 2020. The widely-anticipated announcement comes as Virgin Australia completes a review of its fleet and route network, following seven consecutive loss-making years. Virgin Australia’s load factors to Hong Kong have been poor for some time, despite Virgin’s … Continued

Shanghai, China

Asiana, China Eastern Trial New Routes to Australia

Asiana Airlines and China Eastern will trial two new, seasonal routes to Australia over the summer. Star Alliance’s Asiana Airlines will trial a weekly Melbourne-Seoul service from December 2019 until February 2020. Meanwhile, China Eastern is testing the waters on a Perth-Shanghai route, with a five-week trial beginning in January. Asiana to fly from Melbourne … Continued

Happy traveller

Find Cheap Flights Like a Pro with ITA Matrix

One of the most common questions I get asked is: “How do you find cheap flights?” There are lots of useful websites and tools that can help you to find cheap flights. For example, Google Flights is user-friendly and has some excellent features. Skyscanner is also easy-to-use and is good at finding low airfares. But … Continued

Matt Graham with Bob de la Hunty at HARS

HARS Museum to Add John Travolta’s Boeing 707

The Historic Aircraft Restoration Society, or HARS, is most famous for its Boeing 747-400 donated by Qantas in 2015. VH-OJA, named “City of Canberra”, was Qantas’ first Boeing 747-400 and the aircraft to complete a record-breaking non-stop flight from London to Sydney in 1989. HARS, located at Illawara Regional Airport near Wollongong, is also home … Continued