Latest news

U.S. Airlines Permanently Axe Change Fees

United Airlines made a surprise announcement last weekend that it would permanently remove change fees on domestic airfares. Within days, almost every other major U.S. airline has followed suit in a fundamental change to the revenue models of American airlines. United and most other U.S. airlines have been waiving change fees since COVID-19 began to … Continued

4 Sep 2020 United Airlines

Boeing 747s Now Operating Just a Handful of Routes

It wasn’t long ago that the Boeing 747 was a mainstay of commercial airlines, easily spotted at most major international airports around the world. Fast forward to September 2020, and the Boeing 747 is operating just a small handful of scheduled passenger flights for only four airlines. Boeing 747s will fly on only 17 worldwide routes … Continued

3 Sep 2020 Other Airlines

Marriott Bonvoy Status Match [2020]

Marriott Bonvoy has launched a brand new status match & challenge for members with existing Accor, Hilton, Hyatt or IHG status. If you currently hold status with one of these four competing hotel loyalty programs, you can now receive equivalent status with Marriott Bonvoy for 90 days at no cost. Once the status match is … Continued

2 Sep 2020 Marriott Bonvoy

When Should Australia Lift its Outbound Travel Ban?

On 25 March 2020, the Australian government banned citizens and temporary residents from leaving the country without a special exemption. This extraordinary temporary measure was introduced amid growing uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. At the time, the Australian outbound travel ban was widely viewed as reasonable. It’s now the end of August. Not only is … Continued

31 Aug 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

International Arrival Caps Locking Out Australians

Thousands of stranded Australians are unable to return home due to restrictive caps on arriving international passenger numbers. Since July, the number of daily and weekly inbound passenger arrivals have been limited at all five of Australia’s major international airports. A maximum of 525 international travellers are permitted to arrive in Perth each week, with … Continued

30 Aug 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

Virgin Creditors’ Meeting Set for 4 September 2020

The final meeting of Virgin Australia creditors is all set to take place on 4 September after Virgin Australia’s administrators handed down their report to creditors this week. The airline’s future will be voted on at a virtual Microsoft Teams meeting scheduled for 10am (AEST) on Friday, 4 September 2020. If the sale to Bain Capital … Continued

28 Aug 2020 Virgin Australia

Virgin Australia Customers to Receive “Future Flight Credits”

Virgin Australia customers would have existing travel credits or conditional flight credits replaced with “Future Flight credits” if the proposed sale to Bain Capital goes ahead. These would be valid to redeem for Virgin Australia flights until 31 July 2022, for travel until 30 June 2023, but would come with restrictions. The sale to Bain … Continued

27 Aug 2020 Virgin Australia

How Can Overseas Members Renew Qantas Status in 2021?

Update (November 2020): Qantas has now announced complimentary status extensions for all Qantas Frequent Flyer members residing outside Australia or New Zealand, whose status is due to expire between March-December 2021. There are no further complimentary status extensions for members whose status expires in January or February 2022. To renew your Qantas Frequent Flyer status, … Continued

27 Aug 2020 Qantas

Qantas Cuts More Staff

After announcing 6,000 permanent job losses in June, the Qantas Group this week revealed that a further 2,400 jobs will be lost as it outsources ground handling services at major Australian airports. Qantas and Jetstar currently directly employ around 2,370 ground handling staff at 11 major Australian airports, which work in roles such as baggage … Continued

26 Aug 2020 Qantas

Qantas 737 Business Class Review (during COVID-19)

Virgin Australia may have scaled back its domestic business class service at the moment, but not Qantas. The flying kangaroo has already reinstated hot meals and drinks in business class, and the current service during COVID-19 is not all that different from normal times. In this review, find out what it’s like flying in Qantas’ Boeing … Continued

25 Aug 2020 Flight Reviews

Qantas Frequent Flyer is Keeping the Airline Afloat

There has long been a joke that frequent flyer programs make more money for airlines than flying planes. In the current climate, it couldn’t be more true! Last week Qantas revealed a $2.7 billion statutory loss for the 2019-20 financial year. After a profitable first half to the financial year, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in … Continued

24 Aug 2020 Qantas

Qantas & Virgin’s Best Products Have Sadly Disappeared

Amid the current downturn in international air travel, many planes have been retired, returned to lessors or placed into deep storage – perhaps never to fly again. Larger and older aircraft are particularly affected, and Qantas & Virgin Australia have been no exception. Sadly, one of many unintended consequences is the indefinite loss of Australia’s … Continued

23 Aug 2020 Airlines, Miles and Points