Author: Matt Graham
Matt Graham
The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to more than 100 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course! 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 @AFF Editor.
Fast-track to Virgin Velocity Status
Gold status with Virgin Australia’s Velocity program can be a valuable asset for frequent travellers. Benefits include complimentary lounge access, increased upgrade opportunities, bonus points and even the ability to change to an earlier flight for free. Virgin status can be earned by flying with Virgin Australia and its partner airlines. Often the path to … Continued
Etihad launches A380 flights to Melbourne
Etihad Airways will begin flying its flagship Airbus A380 to Melbourne from June next year. The A380s, which already fly daily to Sydney, offer a more comfortable journey in all classes of travel. But First Class passengers can expect to be especially pampered. The A380 is equipped with “apartments” in First, as well as on-board … Continued
Hilton Hotels: Upgrading 101
It’s always nice to get an upgrade. Upgrading flights to Business and First Class is often discussed on our forums. But hotel rooms can also be upgraded – sometimes for little or no cost! Hilton Hotels offers two different ways to upgrade. These methods can be used to upgrade at Hilton properties including Conrad, Waldorf … Continued
Woolies Axes Qantas Points
Woolworths is ditching its long-standing partnership with Qantas Frequent Flyer. Instead of Qantas points at the checkout, the supermarket will now offer “Woolworths Dollars”. In the new program, only specially marked items earn “dollars”. The number of dollars up for grabs will vary from product to product, while many items will not earn anything at … Continued
A South-East Asian Adventure
This week we’re treated to a trip report from the heart of South East Asia. After being blown away on their first trip, our member puppysparkes recently returned to Vietnam and Cambodia for a new adventure. The trip got off to a fantastic start on arrival into Ho Chi Minh City. As an Accor Le … Continued
Bridging a Frequent Flyer Points Gap
Many frequent flyer point collectors save up for years in order to redeem those points for Business class flights to Europe. But if you still don’t quite have enough points to cover the trip, what other options are available? I’m a Gold FF with about 250k points. I’m going to Europe with the wife in … Continued
Etihad Guest Miles Now Available at Coles
In a supermarket shake-up, Etihad Guest miles can now be earned at Coles. As part of the new tie-up between Etihad Guest and Coles’ Flybuys loyalty program, shoppers can now even earn tier miles towards Etihad elite status while buying groceries! Flybuys points can be converted to Etihad Guest miles in blocks of 10,000, with … Continued
British Airways: A Smart Alternative to Qantas Frequent Flyer?
After a series of recent changes that have effectively devalued the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, many are looking towards alternatives. Virgin Australia is an obvious choice, while the American Airlines AAdvantage program is a popular program within the oneworld alliance. But the British Airways Executive Club program is rarely given a second thought by most … Continued
QF Freq Flyer Changes: A Dog’s Breakfast?
Qantas has quietly slashed the number of frequent flyer points and status credits earned when flying on many partner airlines. It’s the second major change in as many years, and many members are not happy. Status credits determine a member’s elite status level with the airline, so a decrease in the number of status credits … Continued