Trip Reports & Reviews

Trip Reports & Reviews is a popular topic at the Australian Frequent Flyer. In this category Australian Frequent Flyer members report and review flights, hotels and airport lounges.

The Virgin Australia Lounge in Adelaide

Review: Virgin Australia’s New Adelaide Lounge

Virgin Australia has gradually been reopening its airport lounges ever since it exited voluntary administration in November 2020. Beginning with the Brisbane lounge, Virgin has now also reopened its existing lounges in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Gold Coast. Unfortunately, as I discovered on a recent visit to the Virgin Australia Lounge in Brisbane, the service … Continued

QantasLink 717

QantasLink 717 Economy Class Review (January 2021)

All airlines have made changes to their on-board service during COVID-19. So, what’s the service like in Qantas domestic Economy class in January 2021? I recently found out on a QantasLink Boeing 717 flight from Rockhampton to Brisbane. Flight Details Flight number QF1795 Route Rockhampton (ROK) to Brisbane (BNE) Aircraft type Boeing 717-200 Class of … Continued

27 Jan 2021 Flight Reviews
Virgin Australia Business Class meal in January 2021. Photo: Matt Graham.

Virgin Australia 737 Business Class Review (January 2021)

With Virgin Australia now out of voluntary administration, lounges are slowly reopening and the onboard service is beginning to improve. Unfortunately, Virgin Australia’s Business Class product still falls short of expectations in 2021, as I recently discovered on a flight from Brisbane to Rockhampton. Flight Details Flight number VA1235 Route Brisbane (BNE) to Rockhampton (ROK) … Continued

16 Jan 2021 Flight Reviews
FlyPelican Jetstream 32 Flight Review (Newcastle-Dubbo)

FlyPelican Jetstream 32 Flight Review (Newcastle-Dubbo)

Qantas & Virgin Australia dominate much of the Australian domestic market, but they don’t fly on many of the thin routes between regional locations and country towns. This is where smaller airlines like Regional Express, Alliance Airlines, Link Airways and Newcastle-based FlyPelican can come in handy. FlyPelican operates a fleet of five British Aerospace Jetstream … Continued

22 Nov 2020 Flight Reviews
Qantas Retro Roo 737 livery

Qantas 737 Business Class Review (during COVID-19)

Virgin Australia may have scaled back its domestic business class service at the moment, but not Qantas. The flying kangaroo has already reinstated hot meals and drinks in business class, and the current service during COVID-19 is not all that different from normal times. In this review, find out what it’s like flying in Qantas’ Boeing … Continued

25 Aug 2020 Flight Reviews
Great Food & Service at Reopened Qantas Lounges

Great Food & Service at Reopened Qantas Lounges

Last month, Qantas began reopening many of its domestic airport lounges as states eased their COVID-19 restrictions for indoor venues. With fewer people travelling, a need to control costs and government-mandated health restrictions, it was always going to be a challenge for Qantas to reopen its lounges while still offering an excellent experience to guests. … Continued

Alliance Airlines Fokker 70 with Virgin planes in background

Alliance Airlines Review on a Little Fokker

In addition to mining, charter and some scheduled flights, Alliance Airlines operates a range of routes on behalf of Virgin Australia using Fokker 70 and Fokker 100 aircraft. This review will give you an idea of what to expect when booking a Virgin Australia flight operated by Alliance Airlines. Flight Details Flight number VA2911 Route … Continued

16 Aug 2020 Flight Reviews

Virgin’s COVID-19 Business Class Experience Disappoints

I’ve previously written a fairly positive review of Virgin Australia’s Boeing 737 Business Class. But during COVID-19 it’s a very different experience. As I discovered on a recent flight from Canberra to Brisbane, Virgin Australia Business class passengers are no longer receiving even close to the full Business class experience during COVID-19. Flight Details Flight number … Continued

1 Aug 2020 Flight Reviews
Lufthansa Premium Economy

Lufthansa Boeing 747 Premium Economy Review

Many airlines now offer Premium Economy on long-haul flights. But the Premium Economy product can differ substantially between airlines. On some airlines, it’s a slight upgrade over Economy. For others, it’s more of a “Business Lite” experience. So, what’s the Premium Economy experience like on German Star Alliance carrier Lufthansa? We found out on a … Continued

4 Jul 2020 Flight Reviews
Regional Express Saab 340 planes at Cooma Airport

A Socially-Distant Regional Express Review

With a fleet of 57 Saab 340 aircraft, Regional Express (more commonly known as “Rex”) is Australia’s largest independent regional airline. Using its 34-seat planes, it flies to many regional airports that the major airlines simply don’t serve, such as Broken Hill, Burnie, Coober Pedy and Birdsville. Although Rex is currently operating only a limited … Continued

20 Jun 2020 Flight Reviews
Austrian Airlines A320 Economy Review

Austrian Airlines A320 Economy Class Review

Part of the Lufthansa Group and a Star Alliance member, Austrian Airlines operates an extensive network of short-haul and long-haul flights from its hub at Vienna International Airport. In this review, we test the Austrian Airlines Economy class experience on a short flight from Vienna to Berlin. (Please note that, at the time of writing, … Continued

7 Jun 2020 Flight Reviews