Author: Matt Graham
Lufthansa Celebrates Oktoberfest in Most German Way Possible
Oktoberfest is on again in Munich, and German airline Lufthansa is really getting into the spirit again this year! This year, Lufthansa will operate flights where the entire cabin crew will dress up in traditional Bavarian Lederhosen and Dirndls, including two A380 flights from Munich to Beijing and Los Angeles. These flights will be LH722 (MUC-PEK) … Continued
Podcast #20: Are Loyalty Programs a Scam?
The ACCC recently released a damning draft report into Australian loyalty schemes, calling out practices that it says may shock consumers and putting loyalty program operators on notice. In Episode 20 of the AFF on AIR podcast, Matt chats to airline loyalty and data expert Mark Ross-Smith about the ACCC’s findings and recommendations. This interview … Continued
Are Loyalty Programs a Scam? – AIR020
The ACCC recently released a damning draft report into Australian loyalty schemes, calling out practices that it says may shock consumers and putting loyalty program operators on notice. In this episode, Matt chats to airline loyalty and data expert Mark Ross-Smith about the ACCC’s findings and recommendations. This interview covers topics including data privacy, … Continued
Virgin Axes Samsung In-Flight Entertainment Tablets
Virgin Australia is axing its Samsung in-flight entertainment tablets in Business Class on domestic and short-haul international flights. From 30 September 2019, Virgin says that it will no longer load Samsung Galaxy tablets for Business Class guests on its Boeing 737 aircraft. Instead, passengers can stream entertainment to their own devices via the Virgin Australia … Continued
Qantas Changes: Where are the Extra Reward Seats?
Back in June 2019, Qantas Frequent Flyer announced that it would increase the number of points required for reward flight bookings in any premium cabin. In return, there would be a modest reduction in award booking carrier charges and Qantas would release “more than 1 million extra reward seats available annually on Qantas and new … Continued
Virgin Australia 737 Economy Review (Darwin-Melbourne)
The Boeing 737-800 is the backbone of Virgin Australia’s domestic fleet. In this review, we put Economy class to the test on one of the longest domestic routes in Australia. How does Virgin’s service stack up against rival Qantas? Flight Details Flight number VA1464 Route Darwin (DRW) to Melbourne (MEL) Aircraft type Boeing 737-800 Class … Continued
New Qantas Business & First Class Carrier Charges – September 2019
We now know the new carrier charges that will apply to Qantas Business & First Class award bookings made from 18 September 2019 following the major Qantas Frequent Flyer changes. Qantas promised back in June that from 18 September 2019, it would decrease carrier charges for Qantas Classic Flight Reward bookings in Premium Economy, Business … Continued
Virgin Australia to Buy Back Velocity Stake
Virgin Australia will regain full ownership of its Velocity Frequent Flyer loyalty program after selling a 35% stake to Affinity Equity Partners in 2014. Virgin will pay $700 million to buy back the stake in its profitable Velocity loyalty program – around double what Affinity paid for it five years ago. Virgin Australia yesterday confirmed … Continued
Using Status Benefits & Earning Points with Different Programs
If you hold status with an airline, you’ll often feel obliged to continue crediting points to that airline’s frequent flyer program in order to use your status benefits when you fly. For example, if you have Qantas Platinum status, you may only be granted entry to the First Class Lounge if your Qantas Frequent Flyer … Continued