Airlines, miles, and points is the most popular topic at Australian Frequent Flyer. In this category, we provide expert tips, insider tricks, and facilitate discussions about Qantas, Virgin Australia, non-Australian airlines, and global airline alliances. From earning and redeeming frequent flyer points to maximising elite status benefits, we aim to help you get the most out of your travel.
We also cover every step of the journey – from planning and booking flights to experiencing the flight itself, and finally, arriving at your destination. Whether you're a seasoned traveller or just starting to explore the world of frequent flyer programs, you'll find valuable advice to elevate your travel experience.
See below for articles on airlines, miles and points.
You may have heard about the upcoming price increase affecting Star Alliance awards booked using Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles. From 16 April 2019, some KrisFlyer awards on other partner airlines including Virgin Australia and Virgin Atlantic will also become more expensive. In addition, a small price increase is coming to Star Alliance upgrade awards. As … Continued
Last week, American Airlines’ AAdvantage program announced a surprising new partner in China Southern. As of 20 March 2019, you can now earn and redeem AAdvantage miles for China Southern flights. This presents some interesting new opportunities. Based in Guangzhou, China Southern is one of China’s (and indeed, the world’s) largest airlines. China Southern sensationally … Continued
Thai Airways has announced a significant devaluation to its Royal Orchid Plus frequent flyer program. The airline is selling the changes as rewarding customers with “more miles” and “more award flexibility”. But, make no mistake – the value in this frequent flyer program is being gutted. The changes will take effect from 1 October 2019, … Continued
Virgin Australia is currently offering 3x Velocity points on new Virgin flight bookings! This offer is running until Monday, 1 April 2019. Triple Velocity points apply to flights marketed and operated by Virgin Australia, for travel any time until 18 February 2020. This includes domestic and international Virgin flights in all classes of travel, but … Continued
Did you know that fear of flying affects roughly 1 in 4 people? While there is no perfect cure for a fear of flying, the good news is that it is possible to minimise the discomfort. Peter Chin, who runs Fear of Flying courses at Flight Experience in Perth, joined me on the latest episode … Continued
Malindo Air will launch non-stop flights to Bali from Adelaide from 16 April 2019. The 4x weekly flights, to be operated by Boeing 737s, will continue from Bali to Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia. The new Malindo Air flights were originally announced last month, but tickets only went on sale this week. Jetstar is the only … Continued
Singapore Airlines will increase the cost of KrisFlyer Star Alliance awards in Business and First Class from 16 April 2019. When redeeming KrisFlyer miles, the Star Alliance award chart is used for any booking that includes travel on a Star Alliance partner airline/s. This covers bookings exclusively on a partner airline, such as Thai Airways … Continued
IN BRIEF | American Airlines has quietly increased the cost of buying AAdvantage miles. But as compensation, the airline has removed the pesky per-transaction processing charge that previously applied to purchases of the airline’s frequent flyer currency. In addition, there is now a minimum purchase of 2,000 AAdvantage miles per transaction – up from 1,000 … Continued
Qantas is currently offering a discount on Classic Flight Reward bookings made using Qantas points. Until midnight on Monday 25 March, you can get 30% off the points required for Classic Flight Rewards on Qantas, Emirates and Jetstar flights. However, this discount only applies to Economy awards – and not to Premium Economy, Business or … Continued
Have you ever wondered how you would you react in a mid-air emergency? Would you remain calm? Fortunately, most people will never find out the answer to this question. But as it happens, AFF member panpan was a passenger on board a recent Qantas flight that had to divert after a loss of cabin pressure. Qantas … Continued
Business class on flights within Europe is not usually renowned for high quality. In fact, flying European Business Class typically means sitting in a regular Economy seat at the front of the plane with a blocked middle seat. You’ll get a nicer meal, lounge access and personalised service on board. But there is nothing special whatsoever … Continued
On Qantas domestic flights, upgrades are processed on a first-come, first-served basis. If there is a Business Class Classic Reward seat available on your flight, the upgrade is yours. But Qantas international flights work somewhat differently. On international Qantas flights, upgrading with frequent flyer points is like entering a lottery. The only difference is that … Continued
