Qantas, American Airlines Joint Venture Approved

The US government has tentatively approved a joint venture between Qantas and American Airlines on trans-Pacific flights. The Oneworld partners will now be able to work much more closely on flights between Australia, New Zealand and the United States, bringing additional benefits for frequent flyers and opening the possibility of new Qantas routes to North … Continued

Qantas Platinum Priority Seat Purchase

One of the little-known benefits of Qantas Platinum and Platinum One status is the “Priority Economy seat purchase” perk. This benefit allows Platinum and Platinum One frequent flyers to purchase up to two Economy seats on any Qantas flight until midday on the day prior to travel – even if the flight is sold out. … Continued

Avianca Brazil Grounded, All Flights Cancelled

All flights on bankrupt airline Avianca Brazil have been suspended indefinitely after Brazilian regulators grounded the airline. The Brazilian carrier, which is a member of Star Alliance, already cancelled thousands of flights last month after most of its aircraft were repossessed. For clarity, Avianca Brazil is a different company to Avianca (which is based in … Continued

Expanded Qantas, Cathay Pacific Codeshares Blocked

Australian regulators have tentatively rejected Qantas’ application for an expanded codeshare agreement with Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific. Back in January, Qantas applied for permission from Australia’s International Air Services Commission (IASC) to place its “QF” code on five Cathay Pacific services between Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Hong Kong. Similarly, Cathay Pacific would codeshare on five … Continued

Rare Air New Zealand Business Award Availability

Air New Zealand is not exactly famous for its generous award availability. Air New Zealand almost never releases long-haul Business class award availability for bookings using miles with Star Alliance partner airlines. But there are rare exceptions. A few days ago, Air New Zealand released a bunch of Business class award availability on long-haul routes … Continued