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.
It’s been an embarrassing week for Jetstar after the airline was ranked last in an international survey comparing more than 70 airlines. The abysmal ranking earned Jetstar just one star out of five in the survey conducted by Choice in conjunction with Consumers International. But is Jetstar really the worst airline in the world? The … Continued
Fly Business Class on Virgin Australia for surprisingly few points… Earning Etihad Guest miles in Australia is not especially difficult. You can transfer points from Flybuys, as well as many Australian credit cards, to Etihad Guest miles. Plus, you can now buy Etihad Guest miles directly from the airline. Of course, you can also earn points … Continued
If you’ve ever booked a flight, chances are you’ve come across the issue of “married segments”. But what are they, and how do they affect the price of your ticket? In airline speak, a married segment refers to two (or more) connecting flights that are priced based on the origin and final destination. For example, a … Continued
Tickets for Qantas’ non-stop Perth-London flights are now on sale. Qantas will become the only airline to offer non-stop flights from Australia to Europe when it begins flying from Perth to London on 24 March next year. Qantas is hoping that its customers will pay a premium for the convenience of a direct flight. The … Continued
One member is furious after Qantas cancelled their flight, then downgraded them from Business to Economy on the replacement flight. To make matters worse, this member has not received any compensation for the downgrade. This member was travelling with their wife and infant son from Sydney to New York, with a stopover in Los Angeles. … Continued
Qantas recently increased the number of points required for a flight upgrade to Premium Economy, Business or First class. An Economy to Business class upgrade to Los Angeles, for example, increased from 72,000 to 90,000 points. So, do Qantas point upgrades still represent good value? The short answer is that upgrades are still good value for … Continued
This week a Platinum Velocity member is seriously considering abandoning their loyalty to Virgin Australia. Until now this member has flown Virgin exclusively. But after recent devaluations to the Velocity program and poor experiences with Virgin’s partner airlines, they’re on the lookout for greener pastures. Qantas’ superior international network is one reason for jumping ship. … Continued
Qantas is phasing out the card-sized Qantas Club lounge passes that come with certain credit cards and are given out to Qantas flyers with Silver-level status. These physical passes will instead by replaced by digital passes that can be accessed online. The reason for the change would appear to be to combat the sale of lounge … Continued
Qantas has begun offering its frequent flyers the option to “purchase” Platinum status using their frequent flyer points. Multiple AFF members have been contacted by Qantas over the phone with the targeted offer. The asking price? 100,000 Qantas points. In each case, the contacted member had already held Platinum status for several years but had … Continued
Virgin Australia will re-brand its extra-legroom Economy seats as “Economy X”, adding additional benefits including priority boarding and dedicated overhead locker space for Economy X passengers. As part of the new product launch, Virgin will reconfigure its Boeing 737 aircraft to offer three rows of extra-legroom seating at the front of the cabin. This is … Continued
The tipping scam plaguing Qantas’ Los Angeles lounge appears to have returned, with Qantas flyers reporting falling victim to the scam as recently as last month. The scam, which was first reported on AFF two years ago, involves the showers in Qantas’ First and Business class lounges in Los Angeles. When showing lounge guests to … Continued
Virgin Australia is expanding into Asia with the launch of 5x weekly flights between Melbourne and Hong Kong. The flights will operate to a rather bizarre schedule with the first flight departing for Hong Kong on 5 July, 2017. VA87 will depart Melbourne for Hong Kong at 10.25am on Mondays and 9.40am on Wednesdays, while … Continued