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.

Etihad Airways cabin crew

Etihad Flights Now Cost Fewer AAdvantage Miles

American Airlines AAdvantage miles are a popular currency. Australians can easily buy AAdvantage miles, including at generous discounts that are available in regular promotions. American Airlines also has a competitive award chart, meaning award flights are relatively good value. And American does not charge fuel surcharges when redeeming AAdvantage miles for travel with most partner airlines. … Continued

Dubai, UAE.

KrisFlyer Sweet Spot: Dubai-London in Business

Update (16 April 2019): The cost of this award increased to 29,000 KrisFlyer miles one-way in Business class due to a price increase by Singapore Airlines. The Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program is full of sweet spots. Here’s one of them: for just 25,000 KrisFlyer miles, you can fly from Dubai to London in Business class! … Continued

Theft Thief stealing

Theft at 35,000 Feet

Security is something many of us take for granted when travelling by air. Most travellers are quite comfortable leaving their valuables in the overhead lockers or otherwise out of sight for the duration of the flight. But in-flight theft can and does happen. Numerous AFF members have witnessed mid-air robberies while flying to a range … Continued

Hilton Hotel Edinburgh

Completing a Hilton Diamond Challenge

The Hilton Honors status match comes with 90 days of Gold or Diamond status at Hilton hotels. Available to anyone that already holds an equivalent status level with another hotel loyalty program, the status match also comes with a challenge to retain the status. For a Hilton Diamond challenge, this involves staying 8 times at Hilton … Continued

AirAsia will resume Airbus A330 flights from Kuala Lumpur to Australia and New Zealand

Customs & Immigration Delays at Avalon Airport

In December last year, Air Asia X began flying twice daily from Melbourne’s Avalon Airport (AVV) to Kuala Lumpur. It became the first regularly-scheduled international route for Melbourne’s second airport, which is used mainly by low-cost carriers. Air Asia’s move to Avalon Airport has been largely successful. On average, the flights have been relatively full … Continued

Economy business class queues

Swapping Seats Across Cabin Classes

It’s not uncommon for people in a group travelling together to swap seats on the plane. But is it allowed to swap seats with somebody you know that is travelling in a different cabin class? AFF member maidmarion will soon be flying with Air New Zealand to the Cook Islands. There are three family members booked … Continued

Istanbul Airport concourse

New Istanbul Airport is Fully Operational

If you have a flight booked to or through Istanbul, you might want to double-check the airport you’ll be flying into. Istanbul’s brand new international airport, known simply as Istanbul Airport, became fully operational last weekend. It replaces Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport, which was previously the main airport in the city. The new Istanbul Airport has … Continued

Concerned frightened man

Why Airlines Removing Award Charts Should Concern You

United Mileage Plus has removed its award charts and will shift to “dynamic” award pricing for travel from 15 November 2019. United gave no warning about the changes and they have attracted universal criticism, with many frequent flyers seeing this as a major devaluation of the United Mileage Plus loyalty program. United Airlines sold these … Continued

Be prepared

Next Weekend’s Devaluations: Are You Ready?

  Several loyalty program devaluations affecting Australians will take place after next weekend. Over the coming days, Amex Membership Rewards, Westpac Altitude Rewards and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer are all changing their programs for the worse. It’s now your last chance to prepare for the upcoming changes! So we thought we’d give a quick recap of … Continued