Latest news

Qantas Brings Forward International Flights, New Planes

Qantas will resume international flights to Singapore, Fiji, Thailand and South Africa sooner than previously planned, as well as launching a new route from Sydney to Delhi in December. The airline has already announced that it will resume flights from Sydney to London and Los Angeles from 1 November 2021, with the Qantas First Lounge … Continued

22 Oct 2021 Qantas

Qantas Launches Sydney-Delhi Flights

Qantas will resume regular flights to India after almost a decade, with Sydney-Delhi flights to commence on 6 December 2021. The route will initially operate 3x weekly, increasing to daily by the end of the year. Flight QF67 will operate from Sydney to Delhi via Darwin, while the return service QF68 will fly non-stop from … Continued

22 Oct 2021 Qantas

How to Get a COVID-19 Travel Vaccination Certificate

Australia will remove its outbound travel ban on 1 November 2021, but only to people who are fully vaccinated (or exempt from vaccination requirements, such as children under 12 who aren’t yet able to be vaccinated). In preparation, the government is now issuing COVID-19 vaccination certificates for international travel. These are available to fully vaccinated Australian … Continued

20 Oct 2021 Coronavirus and Travel

Sydney’s Qantas First Lounge Will Reopen on 1 November 2021

Qantas will reopen its flagship international First Lounge at Sydney Airport on 1 November 2021 – the same day that regular flights from Sydney to London and Los Angeles resume. While the Qantas First Lounge in Sydney will reopen next month, Qantas won’t reopen its neighbouring Business Lounge until more people are travelling – likely … Continued

19 Oct 2021 Qantas

Qantas Releases A380 First Class Award Availability

Qantas is bringing back its Airbus A380 with First Class from next March, with 6x weekly A380 flights between Sydney and Los Angeles now on sale from 27 March 2022 (previously 1 July 2022). The Qantas A380 has 14 First Class seats, so the reintroduction of the A380 also means the reintroduction of Qantas First … Continued

19 Oct 2021 Points Inspiration Qantas

The Airbus A380 is Making a Comeback

As the end to major COVID-19 travel restrictions draws tantalisingly close, demand for air travel is starting to return. Many countries, including Australia, are starting to ease border restrictions for vaccinated travellers. As a result, airlines are starting to return their largest planes to the skies! In aircraft terms, the super-jumbo Airbus A380 was one … Continued

19 Oct 2021 Airlines, Miles and Points

Podcast #71: NSW Ends Quarantine

This week, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet made a huge announcement that Australians will finally be allowed to leave the country – and return without quarantine – from 1 November 2021. That’s just over two weeks away! There are some conditions. For example, Australians will need to be fully vaccinated, will need a negative COVID-19 test … Continued

16 Oct 2021 AFF on Air Podcast

NSW Ends Quarantine – AIR071

  Yesterday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced some big news: From 1 November 2021, vaccinated Australians will finally be allowed to leave the country, and return from overseas into NSW without having to quarantine. There’s a lot to unpack from this announcement. Joining Matt to do so on this episode of AFF on AIR is … Continued

16 Oct 2021 AFF on Air (blubrry)

Velocity Formally Ends Alitalia Partnership

Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program has finally confirmed that it is ending its long-standing partnership with Alitalia, a day after the former Italian flag carrier operated its last flight. Alitalia has been replaced by a new airline called ITA, which stands for Italia Trasporto Aereo. ITA will be fully owned by the Italian government … Continued

15 Oct 2021 Virgin Australia

Singapore Airlines to Operate Repatriation Flights to Darwin

Singapore Airlines will operate two commercial repatriation flights to Darwin next month for returning Australian citizens, permanent residents and their immediate family members. The Singapore Airlines flights will fly from Singapore to Darwin on 2 and 8 November 2021. All passengers will be required to quarantine at Howard Springs for 14 days after arrival. While New … Continued

15 Oct 2021 Singapore Airlines

NSW Scraps Quarantine for Vaccinated Australians

New South Wales will reopen its border to vaccinated Australians returning from overseas from 1 November 2021, who will no longer have to quarantine on arrival – neither at a hotel, nor at home. Fully vaccinated Australians will also be allowed to travel overseas from anywhere in Australia from 1 November, without having to apply … Continued

15 Oct 2021 Coronavirus and Travel

Too Many Airline Award Charts Ignore Premium Economy

Many airlines have introduced Premium Economy Class over the past decade. Even the major US carriers and Emirates, which initially resisted the trend, are now retrofitting Premium Economy seats onto their long-haul planes. But so many frequent flyer programs haven’t caught up yet. Of the frequent flyer programs that still have award charts, most display … Continued

14 Oct 2021 Airlines, Miles and Points