Rex’s “Strong-Armed” Tactics Against Local Councils Exposed

Regional Express Airlines (Rex), Australia’s largest independent regional airline, has been profitable almost every year since 2004. Given the volatility of the aviation industry and tight margins on regional aviation, that’s a remarkable achievement for the airline which will shortly launch jet services between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. But has Rex’s success been at the … Continued

Virgin Lounge Pass Holders Incorrectly Denied Entry

A Virgin Australia flyer has been incorrectly denied entry to the airline’s newly-reopened lounge at Sydney Airport. Despite holding a valid lounge pass issued by ANZ Bank, the Virgin lounge attendant erroneously informed the customer that single-use lounge passes issued via the customer’s ANZ credit card were no longer being honoured. AFF member Duck posted on Wednesday: … Continued

Domestic Reward Flights Can Still Be Great Value

Many of us save up frequent flyer points to redeem for international travel. But with Australia’s international borders remaining closed for a while longer, and domestic travel resuming, now could be a good time to burn some points for domestic reward flights within Australia instead. Sure, redeeming points for a flight to Melbourne or Perth … Continued

No Staff, No Service: The Future of Flying Qantas?

Last month Qantas announced a plan to close its airport service desks and sales counters, including the service counters in Qantas airport lounges. The airline says that the removal of face-to-face contact points is designed to “enhance customer confidence in flying” during the pandemic. But if the recent experience of a Qantas Platinum member flying … Continued

Qantas Considers Expanding Points Club

Qantas appears to be considering a new membership tier for its Points Club program, which launched in March 2020. Currently, Qantas Frequent Flyer members can achieve Points Club membership by earning 150,000 Qantas points during one membership year. A higher tier, Points Club Plus, can be achieved by earning 350,000 points in 12 months. Of … Continued