Many people are worried about labelling their luggage with their name and address for security reasons. Instead, put your e-mail address on your luggage tags.

To maximise the effectiveness of your frequent flyer points, keep these issues in mind:

• How informed are you if the airlines change the rules? It is unlikely they will inform you of all changes. You may have to double-check all the rules still apply when booking your flight.

• Can you share your rewards?

• Be flexible. Currently, airlines have no-fly zones and restrictions on times you can use your frequent flyer points. Plan your holiday well in advance,

• Use the code-sharing partnerships the airlines have. If you can’t get a seat on the flight you want, double-check if their partner airlines have a seat.

• When planning your holiday don’t just look at your airline for frequent flyer points. The hotel you stay at, your rental car, and the card you pay for the holiday on can all earn you rewards points.

• Read the tips in the Gazette to make sure you get all the points you deserve.

One example given by the Industry Standard was one-way tickets between Sydney and Melbourne. The cheapest airfare over the phone was $191.40, but you could book a flight for a mere $66 online. If you are looking for super-savings, spend a couple of hours checking on the Internet at Qantas, Ansett, Virgin and Impulse. Don’t forget that Virgin don’t accept American Express or Diners Club cards.

Virgin launched a direct Adelaide-Sydney service last Thursday, and for the first nine days of March the flights are only $99 one-way. Book now, and book online. Chief executive officer of Virgin, Brett Godfrey said, ‘It's interesting to note that on routes they [Qantas and Ansett] duopolise, such as Perth or Darwin, the big guys simply don't offer consistent low fares.’

Impulse as of Sunday morning announced some incredibly cheap fares on their Web site - $39 one way between Brisbane and Sydney. Bookings must be made between 4-18 March inclusive. Available for travel between 5 March and 8 April.

Virgin Blue will also start a daily service between Brisbane and Townsville on March 15, bringing consistent low fares to North Queensland for the first time. To celebrate Virgin is offering a $99 one way fare for every seat in March on any booking made on the net prior to the first Brisbane -Townsville departure on March 15.

New Zealand Frequent Flyer members can also earn Frequent Flyer points and Qantas Telstra ANZ Visa Card Reward Points on Qantas New Zealand flights, to the equivalent of three Reward Points per dollar.

Earn 30% more Frequent Flyer points on one-way or return economy or business class flights between Hong Kong and Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Bangkok, Bahrain, Dubain, Mumbai or Karachi on Cathay Pacific

Score double Qantas Frequent Flyer points at the Saville apartments, the Canterbury, the Cairns International Hotel and Quest Hotels. Earn triple points at Pacific International hotels. Qantas members can also earn one point with every dollar spent on National Direct Dialled voice calls (and if you pay with your Telstra Visa Card you can also earn extra points!).

Ansett will not be giving points from March 25 for discount economy tickets booked on Singapore Airlines classes V, Q, G or N. Ansett are giving away double points from Sydney or Melbourne to Hong Kong until March 31. Also from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom when flying upper class on Virgin Atlantic. Earn 5000 bonus points on a Trans-Tasman business class return airfare to New Zealand. See the Ansett Web site for more details.

Members of the Global Rewards Westpac Visa card can earn two Global Rewards points for every dollar spent at: Merringtons Optometrist, Pearsons Florist, Zamel’s, Sheppard’s, Mazzuchelli’s, Drummond Golf, Solomons Flooring, Westpac General Insurance, Beurepaires Tyres, Collins Bookstores, Porters Liquor, selected Billy Guyatts, Archie Martin and Chandlers stores.

The main issues raised in the complaints were:

• Insufficient disclosure of the limited availability of frequent flyer redemption seats.
• Cancellation of specific offers.
• Excessive wait times experienced on frequent flyer customer service telephone lines.
• Support for frequent flyer programs, concerning flexibility in travel, dates, times and cabin classes.
• The use of blackout periods for flight redemptions.
• The continuous trend experienced by many consumers of the inability to redeem frequent flyer points on seats/flights.

The onus is on the airlines to make consumers aware that maximising the commercial revenue of a flight means that frequent flyer redemption seats will be limited in availability. It is important that advertised rewards are available, and that the restrictions imposed on the redemption of those rewards are made clear to consumers.

More information - as it becomes available - will be posted on our website.

The Daily Telegraph also noted that the $170 million levy on airfares to finance noise reduction around Sydney airport is illegal. Travellers have been charged an extra $3.40 to individual airfares as airlines pass on the expense of the levy imposed onto them. The levy funds noise-reduction projects such as the double-glazing of windows and improved sealing of doors of homes around Sydney Airport. A provision which requires an airport to be declared 'leviable' before the levy can be imposed has been overlooked, making the money raised so far illegal.

Virgin Blue is adding four new Next Generation Boeing 737-800 jets to its fleet for long haul flights such as Perth. The 737-800s are said to have more comfortable seating. Virgin Blue chief executive Mr Brett Godfrey said the new aircraft are an indication of Virgin's commitment to building up its fleet and expanding its services.

New audible safety alarms to warn pilots about pressurisation problems are to be introduced for a range of aircraft operating in Australia. The alarms will be required in pressurised jet and turboprop aircraft to supplement existing pressurisation warning lights. The follows the investigation of a pressurisation incident in June 1999. The RAAF pilot of the King Air may have turned the air off by mistake. He then passed out from the effects of hypoxia and a passenger who was also a pilot successfully made an emergency descent.