The Frequent Flyer Gazette

Friday, 6 September 2019

Economy Downgrade Inadequate, Court Rules

Passengers that book a Business Class ticket should not have to accept a downgrade to Economy Class, a German court has ruled. In a recent case, the judge found that Economy Class was an inadequate and unequal replacement for a paid Business Class ticket.

This may sound like common sense, but involuntary downgrades are more common than you might expect. In addition, the level of compensation offered by airlines in the case of downgrades can range from generous to woefully unacceptable.

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BP Switches Loyalty to Qantas

BP will terminate its partnership with Virgin Australia's Velocity Frequent Flyer program, choosing to instead partner with Qantas Frequent Flyer. BP initially sought to end its Velocity Frequent Flyer tie-up in 2017, but was sued by Velocity for a breach of contract. To this day, you can still earn and redeem Velocity points at BP. But this will come to an end when the new BP Rewards program more...

"Significant Concerns" Over Loyalty Schemes

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has expressed "significant concerns" over the practices of frequent flyer, supermarket and credit card loyalty programs in Australia. In a 97-page draft report on Australian loyalty schemes, the ACCC identifies several key areas of concern, ranging from opaque privacy policies to expiring frequent flyer points and airline more...

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Malaysia Airlines Enrich Gold Fast-Track

Malaysia Airlines is offering a unique fast-track to Enrich Gold status, equivalent to Oneworld Sapphire status. You can earn instant Enrich Gold status by flying Malaysia Airlines from Australia or New Zealand to London in Business Class or Business Suites. This status will be valid for 12 months and awarded within two weeks after completing the return trip to London. Enrich is more...

Virgin "My Lounge" Opens in Brisbane

Virgin Australia's new international lounge at Brisbane Airport has finally opened, almost a year behind schedule. "My Lounge - Home of Virgin Australia", as it's called, opened its doors to its first guests on Saturday, 31 August 2019. Operated by No1 Lounges, My Lounge in Brisbane offers barista coffee, an "extensive grazing menu" and a bar service with beer, wine and more...