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.

Virgin Australia Regional Airlines A320

Good Riddance: Virgin Australia Retires A320s

Virgin Australia Regional Airlines has phased out its unpopular all-Economy Airbus A320s, dubbed by some frequent flyers as "hellships".

Virgin Australia 737 exit row

Current Virgin Australia Promo Codes

Save up to 5-10% on domestic and international Virgin Australia flights with these current Virgin Australia discount codes.

Person using Virgin Australia app to fly ahead

How to Fly Ahead with Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia now offers Fly Ahead to Economy Flex passengers, in addition to Velocity Gold, Platinum & Platinum Plus members, allowing more people to change to an earlier same-day flight at no cost.

Velocity Platinum welcome letter and luggage tag

How I Maintained Velocity Platinum Status in 2026

Despite last year's changes to the Velocity Frequent Flyer program, Matt managed to renew his Virgin Australia Platinum status in 2026 - but not without some hiccups along the way. Here's how he did it.

Qantas A321XLR at Sydney Airport

Qantas to Raise Airfares to Recover Lost Card Surcharge Revenue

With card payment surcharges being banned from 1 October 2026, airlines including Qantas are expected to raise airfares to recover the revenue they won't be able to collect from payment fees.

Immigration and passport control at the airport, passport stamp

International Travel Totally Relies on Physical Passports: Is There a Better Way?

It's 2026. We can send astronauts into space. And yet, international travel still relies completely on a single, physical paper booklet - causing big problems for travellers whose passports are lost are stolen. Surely there's a better digital solution.

Royal Brunei Economy Class seats

How I Made Red-Eye Economy Class Bearable Without Upgrading

Rather than paying $650 to upgrade to a lie-flat Business Class seat, Matt booked a $119 day-use hotel room to sleep after landing on his short overnight flight.

Etihad Airbus A350 at Madrid Airport

Amex Removing Etihad Guest Transfers: I Have Mixed Feelings

From 23 June 2026, you'll no longer be able to transfer Amex Membership Rewards Points into Etihad Guest. Although it's sad to lose a transfer partner, Etihad's loyalty program is now just so much less appealing than it used to be, anyway.

Royal Brunei Boeing 787 Economy cabin

Royal Brunei Airlines Boeing 787-8 Economy Class Review

"Goodbye Qantas", the passenger behind me said when we landed in Melbourne. Royal Brunei's Boeing 787 Economy Class is not only cheaper, but also more spacious.