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.
Five continents in 28 days
This week we are treated to our member exceladdict’s first trip report. And what an adventure it is shaping up to be! Well, to be honest, the full title should be 21 Flights, 16 Airports, 9 Plane Types and 6 Carriers taking 2 pax over 5 Continents in 28 Days. And it’s all thanks to … Continued
Virgin getting stingy with complimentary platinum upgrades?
This week one of our members is finding it difficult to use their Virgin complimentary platinum upgrades. I tried to use a platinum comp upgrade, but there seems no award seats available. I’ve checked on expert flyer, and it seems there are only 6 passengers in J out of possible 36 seats. I was searching … Continued
New Qantas “Bid Now” upgrades: How will they work?
Qantas announced recently that they are introducing a new way to upgrade called “Bid Now”. Under the new system, which will function alongside the traditional “classic” points upgrades, selected flyers will be offered the opportunity to bid for an upgrade using a combination of points and cash. It will operate like an auction, with bidders … Continued
Getting Help from the Airline Customer Advocate
If you’ve ever been involved in a dispute with an airline, you probably know how frustrating it can be. Airlines are often unwilling to do the right thing by the customer and as a passenger, it’s often easy just to give up. But did you know that there is an advocate that may be able … Continued
Belize and Guatemala: A Mayan adventure
This week our member RooFlyer is escaping a freezing winter in North America to visit the former Mayan civilisation in Belize and Guatemala. The trip was booked at the last minute using American Airlines AAdvantage miles. As our member discovered, American charge a USD$75 fee for award bookings made less than 21 days out. But … Continued
Who to book with when flying Singapore Airlines as a Velocity member?
This week a member is looking to book a trip to Asia on Singapore Airlines. As a Velocity member, they would like to book with Virgin Australia however to do so would cost $132 more. Understandably they are wondering what, if anything, one gets for that extra $132. Hi, just looking into booking a fare … Continued
Malaysia Airlines redemptions to become more expensive
Malaysia Airlines has become the latest airline to devalue its frequent flyer program. As well as making changes to the way miles are earned, the airline has significantly increased the number of Enrich miles required for reward flights. As well the increase to redemption costs, Malaysia Airlines is making changes to zones that leave most … Continued
How does Emirates Economy stack up?
Emirates is often praised for its extravagant business and first class offering. But is the glamour associated with Emirates reflected in economy class? One of our members recently travelled from Melbourne to Singapore on board an Emirates Boeing 777. Despite a small delay, there are plenty of positives about the flight. The young cabin crew … Continued
Velocity Frequent Flyer: Where are the partner reward seats?
Finding Velocity Frequent Flyer reward seats on partner airlines, such as Etihad, Delta, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America, has proven a struggle for one of our members. The member wants to use their Virgin points to fly to the USA and Europe. However, they have been finding that award availability on some partner airlines has … Continued