A father�s plea for frequent flyer points to assist his sick daughter getting medical care sparked some controversial and very heated postings on the Discussion Board this month.  The question arose: can individuals transfer points to other individuals for the purposes of a charitable cause?

Unused points� expiring is undoubtedly better for an airline's bottom line than the donation of these points to charity.

In the terms and conditions of the Qantas Frequent Flyer agreement it appears Qantas only allow Frequent Flyers to transfer points to eligible family members who are also Qantas Frequent Flyers once every 12 months.  Similarly, the Velocity program allows members to transfer points to eligible family members and friends (for a small fee). 

Many overseas airlines have similar arrangements.  For example, United Airlines allow points to be transferred from anyone and to anyone but have also capped the number of points a person can receive at 15,000 per annum.

However, our understanding is that a small number of airlines have teamed up with charity organisations allowing members with unused points to donate these points to a consolidated account from which tickets are "purchased" by the charity for worthy purposes.  An example of such an arrangements is Air New Zealand and the  Make-A-Wish Foundation.

The major Australian airlines may have sound economic reasons for prohibiting the consolidating of donated points.  However, a more generous approach (such as Air NZ/ Make-A-Wish arrangement) would really make a difference to people in need and would demonstrate that the airlines are indeed good "corporate citizens".   

Car Hire Hassle

Our members discuss their experiences, the good and the bad with car hire and offer HANDY TIPS to minimize the risk of incurring unjustified bills for damage to the car.

Travel Log

Keep tabs on your fellow frequent flyers by adding your travel journal to this UNIQUE POST.

In for the Long Haul

How long does it take to get from A to B?  Join our members in discussing your LONGEST SINGLE flight number trip? A whooping sixty-five hours is the winner so far.

Question Time

ASK OUR MEMBERS anything, from the simple to the complex, there is always someone willing to help first time jet-setters understand the nuances of frequent flyer programs.

Fools gold

One eBay shopper grapples with the prospect of a free upgrade to gold membership. Our members HELP HIM determine if this is the real deal.

Jetstar�s Customer Service Queried

Tempers flared when one brave newbie declared �jetstar sucks�. Have your say on this CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC.

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American Express and Qantas Join Forces

American Express and Qantas launched a range of credit cards last month aimed at people who travel frequently. Card holders can earn up to 2.5 frequent flyer points for every dollar spent with Qantas in Australia and there are no points limits.  There are three tiers of cards to choose from depending on the frequency of your travel with Qantas.  The relatively high annual fees and the fact that many merchants still do not accept Amex are potential disadvantages for consumers.

Baby risk for Frequent Flyers

New research suggests that frequent flyers may be more at risk of delivering their first babies prematurely.  One thousand pregnant women took part in the university of Saudi Arabia�s unique research.

They found women in their first pregnancies who travelled by air were at significantly higher risk of pre-term births and consequently, delivering lower birthweight babies, but this was not so for mothers in subsequent pregnancies.  Of the 312 flyers in their first pregnancies, 19.6 per cent gave birth at less than 37 weeks gestation.

The researchers suggested that the lower oxygen levels on long commercial flights might be responsible.

Frequent Flying Pets cash-in

The increase in air travel of cats and dogs has caused a British airline to introduce a frequent flyer scheme specifically targeted at household pets.  Virgin Atlantic's Flying Paws reward scheme is designed to cater for the 1250 animals that fly each year with Virgin Atlantic.

Once pets have notched up five "paw prints" in their frequent flyer book they can acquire tangible rewards such as hand-made food bowls, pedicures and for the really frequent flyer: Burberry, Prada and Gucci pet clothing.

United Airlines New Focus

United Airlines is developing a new focus towards first and business class passengers in a bid to increase profitability.  Chief financial officer, Jake Brace said �We're not going to ignore the low-value customer, but we're going to try and generate a revenue premium from the high-value customer".

Some carriers have already cut costs in the economy sections by making passengers pay for food and alcohol. Furthermore, customers who are not elite members of the frequent flyer program will now pay a fee when redeeming mileage awards over the telephone

Jetstar takes on the Farehunter

The popular free farehunter service is reportedly crippled after Jetstar has been providing false and doctored information to the service.

The farehunter website has allowed users to compare flights from Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin without going to the individual websites.  The founder of farehunter, Greg Holloway has said Jetstar began offering different information to fare-hunter than the information it provided on its site.

Jetstar have struck back at Holloway claiming his site infringes the copyright protection of their website.

Jetstar Pilots Jibbed

Qantas may spark more industrial action with a move to pay Jetstar captains on international flights $100,000 less than their Qantas counterparts.  Qantas has confirmed that it is currently in negotiations with Jetstar pilots but refused to disclose the content of the contracts.

The prospect of cheaper labour has prompted Qantas to consider the proposal to move maintenance jobs offshore.  Union representatives are poised for industrial action if Qantas finalises the controversial decision.

From the 656 Australians surveyed 87% preferred to have the long-haul maintenance facilities kept on home soil. This result appears not to stem from any deep-rooted sense of patriotism but an innate distrust of all things foreign. Over 77% of interviewees felt that a plane serviced in Australia would be safer.