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 Cuts Lounge Access
Virgin Australia passengers have lost access to Air New Zealand airport lounges, unless flying across the ditch. The changes come amidst reports that Virgin will also soon start charging domestic lounge guests for spirits. The lounges available to Gold & Platinum Velocity members, as well as Business passengers, on international flights will now depend on … Continued
Dealing with Unexpected Hotel Charges
Unexpected charges on a hotel bill can be frustrating at the best of times. But one member recently discovered a fraudulent addition to their bill of almost $300 worth of room service charges! I stayed at the Hilton Garden Inn Central Park from 24-28 September and had a room service charge to my account for USD 290.75 (yes that … Continued
Qantas Reveals New Logo, 787 Seats
Qantas has unveiled its Boeing 787 cabin configuration, along with a brand new logo and aircraft livery. The 787 Dreamliner, which enters service in late 2017, will feature 42 Business Suites, 28 Premium Economy and 166 Economy seats. The Business Suites will be similar in design to the current Airbus A330 suites, with a 1-2-1 configuration. … Continued
Earn Velocity Points at Coles
In exciting news for frequent flyers, it’s now possible to earn Virgin Velocity points and status credits by shopping at Coles! There’s even a 15% bonus available on point transfers from Coles’ Flybuys program to Velocity Frequent Flyer until the end of November. 2,000 Flybuys points, usually worth $10, can now be converted to 870 … Continued
Sampling Singapore Airlines’ New Canberra Flight
Singapore Airlines last month began international flights to Canberra. Dubbed the “Capital Express”, the 4x weekly Boeing 777 flights operate from Singapore to Canberra, continuing to Wellington in New Zealand. Our member Colin 2905 managed to pick up a great value fare to Europe, using the new service to fly directly from Canberra. As one of the … Continued
Pros & Cons of Switching Airline Loyalty
If you’re unhappy with your current airline of choice, the grass may look greener on the other side. But is it really worth taking the leap of faith and switching your airline loyalty? That’s the dilemma currently faced by one Platinum Virgin Australia flyer. While they’re feeling underwhelmed with Virgin, they don’t want to lose … Continued
Qantas Opens New Brisbane Lounge
Qantas last week opened its brand new lounge in the international terminal of Brisbane Airport. The new lounge replaces the outdated Business and First class lounges previously used in Brisbane. The lounge is a combined space for Gold and Platinum frequent flyers, as well as Business and First class passengers. This is the same concept used in Qantas’ … Continued
Enjoy Business Class for Less!
It’s no secret that flying Business class is more enjoyable than Economy, but it also comes with a high price-tag. This week our members share their tricks for scoring discounted Business class tickets, making pointy-end flying possible for just a fraction of the regular ticket price! The first tip is to consider left-field airlines. For … Continued
The Value of Starwood (SPG) Points
The Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program is highly attractive as Starpoints can be transferred to over 30 different airline frequent flyer programs! The vast majority of transfers are completed at a 1:1 conversion rate. Plus, SPG will throw in 5,000 bonus points for every 20,000 points transferred. This means that 20,000 SPG points are worth … Continued