Latest news

How Qatar Airways Botched its Status Match Promo

In May, Qatar Airways launched a rare status match promotion for frequent flyers of six airlines including Virgin Australia. Velocity members were invited to apply for the match, and most applicants have now received reciprocal Qatar Airways Privilege Club status. It was a great deal for Velocity members, especially at a time of uncertainty surrounding … Continued

10 Jul 2020 Qatar Airways

Qantas Extends International Cancellations Well into 2021

A few weeks ago, Qantas cancelled almost all of its international flights until 24 October 2020. These cancellations were quietly extended yesterday by another five months, until the end of March 2021. The only exception is flights between Australia and New Zealand, which are currently scheduled to resume on 17 August 2020. However, the cancellation … Continued

10 Jul 2020 Qantas

Former Program Partner Slams Qantas Business Rewards

A business that used to offer its customers Qantas Business Rewards points has slammed the loyalty program for small-to-medium businesses. It says Qantas Business Rewards has made “drastic” changes to its business model which now encourages “churn-and-burn and large upfront payments” over long-term loyalty. Two years ago, Switch Telecom launched a partnership with Qantas Business … Continued

9 Jul 2020 Qantas

Flights Cancelled as NSW, Victoria Border Closes

Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia have cancelled some flights to and from Melbourne after New South Wales shut its border with Victoria for the first time since 1919. It comes as Melbourne is placed into lockdown from midnight tonight due to a spike in coronavirus cases. The ACT and Northern Territory are also now closing … Continued

8 Jul 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

Qantas 747 Joy Flight Tickets on Sale Today

Update: Tickets for these flights sold out within a few minutes! Many Australian Frequent Flyer members managed to score seats; if you’re booked on one of these flights, check out the planned meet-up threads for members in Sydney, Brisbane or Canberra. In some great news for aviation enthusiasts, Qantas has decided not to unceremoniously send … Continued

8 Jul 2020 Qantas

Qantas Offers Status Credits, Extra Value for Accepting Flight Credits

Qantas is reportedly offering status credits, extra credit value and/or extended voucher validity to selected customers that agree to hold onto their flight credits instead of requesting a refund for cancelled flights. Some Australian Frequent Flyer members have reported being offered 100 bonus status credits, an additional 10% value on their flight credits, or even … Continued

6 Jul 2020 Qantas

Lufthansa Boeing 747 Premium Economy Review

Many airlines now offer Premium Economy on long-haul flights. But the Premium Economy product can differ substantially between airlines. On some airlines, it’s a slight upgrade over Economy. For others, it’s more of a “Business Lite” experience. So, what’s the Premium Economy experience like on German Star Alliance carrier Lufthansa? We found out on a … Continued

4 Jul 2020 Flight Reviews

Qatar Airways Passenger Almost Gets $28 million Refund

An Australian Frequent Flyer forum moderator got the shock of her life recently when she discovered that her available credit card balance was suddenly over $28 million. The reason? She’d just received a refund for a Qatar Airways flight! JessicaTam had booked return Qatar Airways Business class flights from Jakarta to London. But like most flights … Continued

3 Jul 2020 Qatar Airways

Qantas Brings Back the Booze on Domestic Flights

Qantas has reinstated meals and drinks, including alcoholic beverages, on some domestic flights. The airline is also progressively rolling out in-flight wifi again, although in-flight entertainment remains switched off. For the past three months, catering on Qantas flights has been severely reduced due to cost cutting COVID-19 health measures designed to minimise contact between passengers … Continued

2 Jul 2020 Qantas

Virgin Australia Happy Hour Sales are Back

After a hiatus of several months, Virgin Australia Happy Hour sales are back with Economy fares from $69 and Business class tickets starting from just $250 one-way! In normal times, Virgin Australia would offer a selection of Happy Hour sale fares from 4pm until 11pm each Thursday afternoon. But these were quietly withdrawn earlier this … Continued

2 Jul 2020 Virgin Australia

Hard Sell: Velocity Still Encouraging Members to Earn Points

Even though Virgin Australia has been in voluntary administration for the past two months, and Velocity Frequent Flyer redemptions remain severely limited, Velocity has been really pushing its members to continue earning points lately. Velocity Frequent Flyer has been ramping up the marketing emails in recent weeks, with offers such as bonus points at the … Continued

2 Jul 2020 Virgin Australia

Queensland Border to Reopen on 10 July, But Not to Victorians

Queensland will proceed with its plan to reopen the state’s border on 10 July to travellers from all Australian states and territories except Victoria. It comes as the Victorian government announces lockdowns of 10 Melbourne postcodes for four weeks, starting from tonight, following a localised COVID-19 outbreak. In addition, Queensland will not allow even its … Continued

1 Jul 2020 Coronavirus and Travel