FrequentFlyer.com.au - Gazette, February 2004

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THE FREQUENT FLYER GAZETTE :: FEBRUARY 2004
ISSN 1446-4292

1. Aviophobia
2. Program News
3. Industry News
4. Promotions

Hello and welcome to the first edition of the Gazette for the new year. We trust you all had a good holiday and are returning refreshed for 2004.

After taking an extended break in January, we have prepared a bumper February edition.

This month we look at Aviophobia (you will have to read on to discover what it is!), examine alternatives to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, plus bring you all the usual news and promotional offers.

Finally, we are offering a $5 discount off our Smart Guide entitled "A Guide to earning Frequent Flyer points with your Mortgage" to subscribers who complete our short survey.

Happy reading.

Ben
Editor, Frequent Flyer Gazette

Find Specials in:

	1. AVIOPHOBIA - FEAR OF FLYING
		This may seem a strange topic for a frequent flyer newsletter, but did you know that recent studies estimate that 1 in 6 people - that's over 3 million Australians - have a fear of flying. So, even if its not you, the chances are that someone in your family or a close friend is affected. Aviophobia (often referred to as aerophobia) is one of the most common fears because it encompasses a number of other fears such as claustrophobia, fear of heights, fear of giving up control, and fear of the unknown. And because flying has become so important to our business and personal lives, its not hard to see how debilitating this condition can be. Given the large number of people effected, its also not hard to see how teaching people to overcome this difficulty is becoming a popular and profitable industry. In the US there are many programs which claim to conquer the condition. Australians can enrol in the Qantas-endorsed Fearless Flyers Programme. But before you go out and spend $700 plus on a program, be sure to check out some quality value-for-money alternatives. For example, the excellent How to Get Rid of Your Fear of Flying workbook costs just $US9.95 and comes with an unconditional 3 month money back guarantee and unlimited email support from the author!

Alternatives to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program

Qantas may well be the only Australian-based airline which offers a frequent flyer program. But Australian frequent flyers do have a choice ... you can join the frequent flyer programs associated with other international airlines. On some of these programs you can even earn points when flying with Qantas!

Air New Zealand AirPoints
Benefits include: Free to join, actively encourages Australian members, good connections and convenient itineraries for Australians, and generous 'special offers' and promotions.

Unlike the Qantas program, Air New Zealand AirPoints offers the opportunity to purchase points - this is particularly useful if you need to 'top-up' your balance before making an award booking. The program also has some fairly innovative features such as being able to use your points to buy a companion ticket at a discounted rate.

As Air New Zealand is a member of the Star Alliance, you can earn and redeem points on airlines such as Singapore Airlines, United Airlines, Thai, Lufthansa, Varig, Air Canada, SAS and more - but not on Qantas, which is a member of the competing oneWorld alliance.

For more information, check out their Website.

American Airlines AAdvantage
This was the first frequent flyer program, established over 20 years ago, and claims to have the most members. This program is free to join, and has an extensive network of airline and non-airline partners. You can purchase points, as well as 'donate' points to various charities.

Like Qantas, American Airlines is a member of the oneWorld Alliance. You can therefore redeem AAdvantage points for travel on Qantas: 20,000 AA points will get you anywhere on the Qantas domestic network. (Compare this to 30,000 Qantas points for a Sydney-Perth trip).

Check out the AAdvantage Program website for more details.

Singapore Kris Flyer and United Mileage Plus
Both these programs are very similar and offer almost identical benefits and features. Both Singapore and United Airlines are members of the Star Alliance, so you get to earn and redeem points with all associated airlines.

For more information, check the Singapore Airlines and United Airlines websites.

Our Recommendation
We recommend that all Qantas Frequent Flyers, who are regular international travellers, join one of the Star Alliance programs (eg. AirPoints, Kris Flyer, Mileage Plus). These programs are free to join, and membership of a frequent flyer program from both international alliances (ie. Star Alliance and oneWorld) will ensure that you receive points on most major airlines.

Which program to join? They all offer similar benefits - we suggest you join the program associated with the country you visit the most. For example, if most of your travel is to the US, join United Mileage Plus.

Frequent Flyer Club members can receive specialist advice regarding which program to join by requesting a Frequent Flyer Health Check.

Economy Class at Business Class prices

In the event that you cannot secure frequent flyer seats in the same class for all sectors in a return flight, Qantas will charge you the full rate for the higher class (eg. Business Class) - although you will travel some sectors in a lower class (eg. Economy Class).

As one of our readers notes:

"Just thought you might be interested to know that Qantas has a nice little sting when one is booking Business Class seats with frequent flyer points.

Recently I happen to book seats on BA using FFP's. It transpired that at this point in time, I cannot get Business Class seats on the outward flight, but I can on the inward flight. So how many points do they charge me for an Economy Class seat out and Business Class seat back - why at full Business Return points of course! Thanks Qantas. I feel such loyalty to you!!

Oh by the way, if the Business Class seats do come up before I fly in April, naturally because I will be changing my booking it will cost me a further 5000 points per change!!"

Toilet Training

One can understand the US concern about airline safety. Given the awful events of 9/11 and the ongoing terrorist threat, we believe the US authorities are quite justified in taking whatever action is needed to ensure safety in the sky - be it the placement of sky marshals or the cancelling of international flights which may carry an unacceptable security risk.

But now they may be going just a wee bit too far... The US Transport Security Administration are now require passengers on flights to the US not "to congregate in groups in any areas of the aircraft, especially around the toilets!"

Transport minister, John Anderson said the directive seemed hard to handle. "I guess what the US authorities are looking for is any kind of suspicious congregation of behaviour that might be in some way related to, you know, preparing for something nasty to launch an attack on a plane or something like that," he said. "This is going to require a bit of commonsense and a bit of tact. "I wouldn't want to overreact, but I'd have to say, as the reports at the moment, I have to say do sound a little bit hard to handle."

Qantas is advising passengers during the safety instructions and the pilot's first public address of the toilet restrictions. The airline would monitor the situation and had not yet formulated any additional arrangements for passengers seated a long way from the closest toilet who face most competition, a Qantas spokeswoman said.

Board of Airline Representatives of Australia executive director Warren Bennett described the US edict as silly and impossible to enforce. "It's [a toilet] a very prime piece of real estate on an aircraft at certain times in the flight," Mr Bennett told ABC radio. "It's obvious that whoever thought this up in the US authority hasn't travelled on a 14-hour flight to Australia."

Check out what our readers have to say about this HERE.

Qantas awarded 2004 Airline of the Year

The aviation monthly magazine Air Transport World have awarded Qantas the coveted title of Airline of the Year for 2004. According to the magazine Qantas had "the right stuff", and praised its "relentless focus and excellence in the air combined with leanness and flexibility on the ground".

Pacific Blue takes flight

Pacific Blue - Virgin Blue's international airline - began its trans-Tasman service late last month.

The new airline will initially fly daily between Christchurch and Brisbane but will expand its international flight options with the introduction of direct flights between Christchurch and Melbourne on March 4 as well as Christchurch and Sydney on March 10. The airline�s direct daily Wellington - Sydney flights will also take off on March 10.

Virgin Blue CEO Brett Godfrey said it was "a tad ironic" that other airlines had now moved to cut their trans-Tasman airfares in a bid to match the low-cost carrier's prices. Pacific Blue's "Mid-Week Mini-Fares" between Brisbane and Christchurch start from $189 one-way on the net.

The Australia-New Zealand route is Pacific Blue�s first international service but the carrier is evaluating a number of other South Pacific destinations.

Rockhampton - our most secure airport?

A 73-year-old woman, accidentally carrying a knife in her bag, went undetected through Sydney and Brisbane airports before she was picked up at the Queensland regional airport of Rockhampton last week.

"Let's just hope all the terrorists are coming through Rocky - that's all I can say," her son Keith W said.

	4. PROMOTIONS
		Qantas Award discounts 20,000 points off selected Award flights between Sydney and Frankfort. Win $20,000 with Air NZ Air New Zealand is giving you the chance to WIN $20,000 worth of flights. Simply book an Air New Zealand airfare or holiday deal before the 8th February 2004, complete the required entry form. Return airfares from Sydney to NZ are from just $445. 2,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles Take-Off with Singapore Airlines this New Year with fantastic new fares to destinations around the globe, including Europe, Asia, India and Africa. Book and pay for your New Year Take-Off fare online and receive 2,000 bonus KrisFlyer miles. United Airlines: Double Miles or 5,000 bonus miles Earn double miles. Fly 10,000 paid, qualifying miles between January 1 and February 29, 2004. You'll then earn double miles on future paid qualifying flights, through March 31, 2004 OR Earn 5,000 bonus miles Fly 10,000 paid, qualifying miles between January 1 and March 31, 2004, and you'll receive 5,000 bonus miles. $5.00 discount off "A Guide to earning Frequent Flyer points with your Mortgage" Much has happened in the world of frequent flyers over the last couple of years. And as a reader of the Frequent Flyer Gazette, we are particularly interested in your opinion. We would appreciate you taking five minutes to fill out our short survey. In return for your time, we offer you $5 discount off the regular price of our "Guide to earning Frequent Flyer points with your Mortgage". Something a little different - Sorelli Promotions Sorelli Promotions host a variety of exceptional live music performances in an authentic Eastern European atmosphere. Check them out at www.sorelli.com.au. If you're a music lover, reside in Melbourne (or can use your frequent flyer points to get here!) and wish to experience something a bit different - try one of their concerts. We have negotiated a $2 discount for our readers. To qualify for the discount, print out this page and present it when booking. Offer ends 29 Feb 2004. Comes with a personal recommendation from the editorial team!

� THE AUSTRALIAN FREQUENT FLYER, 2004