Author: Matt Graham
New Hilton Hotels for Melbourne?
There are rumours that Hilton Hotels could soon be returning to Melbourne with up to three new properties. The popular American hotel chain is planning to open a new Hilton-branded hotel, alongside a Curio Collection and Double Tree. AFF moderator JessicaTam has the scoop on the new Hilton hotels in Melbourne. Initially, Hilton had planned to … Continued
Qantas Refund Black Hole
An AFF member and Qantas Platinum frequent flyer is still waiting for a Qantas refund of $4,000, two months after they had to cancel their flight. And they could be waiting a lot longer, as Qantas has stopped responding to emails and phone calls. PaulDQLD had originally booked two return Qantas Business class fares from Sydney … Continued
Tighter Airport Security Coming
The Australian government has announced increased airport security measures for domestic terminals across the country. As part of a spending package announced in this week’s federal budget, major Australian domestic airports will receive full-body scanners like those at international terminals. The government also announced new funding for upgrading x-ray screening equipment at regional airports and … Continued
Air France in Financial Trouble?
Air France, the French flag carrier and a founding member of the SkyTeam alliance, could be in serious financial trouble. The airline’s CEO resigned last week amid an ongoing industrial dispute, sending the share price plummeting. Meanwhile, the French government says the airline’s future is in the balance, vowing not to bail out the airline. … Continued
10 Unusual Emirates Routes Bookable with Qantas Points
Qantas points can be used to book Emirates flights to destinations all over the world! Most Emirates flights start or end in Dubai, but Emirates also has many useful fifth-freedom routes. From Australia, Emirates flies a range of useful fifth-freedom routes including Sydney-Christchurch, Melbourne-Singapore, Brisbane-Singapore and Sydney-Bangkok. These are just a few of the many unusual … Continued
Falling Back in Love with Airport Lounges
If you fly a lot, it’s easy to take airport lounges for granted. But this week an AFF member reminds us of how special they are for travellers that don’t get to visit often. Nat Z recently visited an airport lounge for the first time and was amazed by just how nice it was. From … Continued
Qantas Club Pass Sold to Minor that Can’t Legally Use Lounge
Qantas has had all sorts of IT problems over the past week. Its scheduled system upgrade last Wednesday took far longer than expected, leaving frequent flyers unable to access their accounts or use their Qantas points for many hours. But it’s a different IT problem that has upset AFF member juddles this week. Qantas routinely emails … Continued
Soft Landings: What happens to Qantas status if you don’t fly?
To maintain elite status with Qantas, you normally need to earn a minimum number of status credits. You also need to take at least 4 Qantas or Jetstar flights per membership year. But what happens if you don’t fly enough? Qantas uses a system known to frequent flyers as “soft landings”. If you don’t retain … Continued
End of an Era for Qantas 747s
The Boeing 747 has been the backbone of the Qantas international fleet since 1971. But it’s now the end of an era, with the announcement that all Qantas 747s will be retired by 2020. The Boeing 747 was a ground-breaking aircraft for its time, cutting travel times to destinations around the world and opening new … Continued