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Qantas Clarifies Air France, KLM Tier Benefits

Last year, Qantas introduced a new frequent flyer partnership with Air France & KLM. Qantas Frequent Flyer members can earn & redeem points for Air France and KLM flights, and Qantas Silver, Gold, Platinum & Platinum One members receive reciprocal status benefits when flying with either airline. Unfortunately, as we reported in February, the implementation … Continued

13 May 2020 Qantas

No Qantas Status Upgrades for Grounded Flyers

Qantas is refusing to offer flexibility to frequent flyers that were on track to upgrade to a higher status tier before the COVID-19 travel shutdown. Several Australian Frequent Flyer members were just 10 or 20 status credits short of attaining Gold status before the travel restrictions were implemented and flights grounded. Under normal circumstances, they … Continued

11 May 2020 Qantas

Virgin “Pauses” Refunds, Travel Credits

If you have a cancelled Virgin Australia flight, the airline says that you can still request a travel bank credit. If you bought a refundable ticket, such as a Freedom fare, you can also apply for a refund. But Virgin Australia is not currently processing any new refunds or flight credits. In fact, it hasn’t … Continued

9 May 2020 Virgin Australia

Update on Qantas Flight Credits (May 2020)

Qantas is now offering flight credits to passengers that were booked to fly until the end of September 2020 (previously July 2020). Qantas credit vouchers can also now be used towards multiple new bookings, rather than just one booking of equal or greater value. But the national carrier is no longer waiving change fees for … Continued

8 May 2020 Qantas

Qantas Market Update: Project Sunrise, A380 Upgrades On Hold

Qantas has secured an additional $550 million in debt funding, giving the airline sufficient liquidity to survive until at least December 2021, CEO Alan Joyce revealed in a market update this week. But this is not without trade-offs, with Project Sunrise now delayed indefinitely and Qantas’ A380 refurbishment program suspended. We may never see an … Continued

7 May 2020 Qantas

Cathay Pacific Has Eliminated Fuel Surcharges

Oneworld’s Cathay Pacific has almost completely eliminated fuel and carrier surcharges from both commercial airfares and award bookings. This includes Asia Miles awards and Classic Flight Reward bookings made using Qantas points, where carrier charges are no longer payable at all. The only exception is journeys originating in Japan, where a small fuel surcharge is … Continued

7 May 2020 Cathay Pacific

Qantas is Still Printing its In-Flight Magazine

Although Qantas is no longer filling its aircraft seat pockets with reading material, and many planes are temporarily grounded, Qantas has continued producing and printing its in-flight magazine. But this month’s Qantas Magazine isn’t written for passengers looking to pass the time during their flight. Instead, the magazine is being mailed out to selected Qantas … Continued

6 May 2020 Qantas

Earn Qantas Status Credits at Woolworths

It’s now possible to earn Qantas Frequent Flyer status credits at Woolworths supermarkets until 30 June 2020. If you’re a Woolworths Rewards member and have opted in to earning Qantas points, every 2,000 Woolworths Rewards points is converted to 1,000 Qantas points. This conversion happens automatically within 24 hours of reaching 2,000 Woolworths Rewards points. … Continued

5 May 2020 Woolworths Everyday Rewards

Flight Centre Fee Backflip after Legal Action Threats

Flight Centre has reversed its controversial policy of charging $300 per passenger for involuntary flight cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The travel agency will also refund customers that have already been charged the cancellation fee after the ACCC threatened legal action. As Australian Frequent Flyer reported four weeks ago, many Flight Centre customers were surprised … Continued

3 May 2020 Coronavirus and Travel

Podcast #35: Travelling to North Korea

Ever wondered what it’s like to travel to North Korea – a country that had strict rules and border controls well before COVID-19 made them cool? In Episode 35 of the AFF on AIR podcast, Matt chats to Gus Higgins about travelling to this reclusive country. While in North Korea, he found out why Air … Continued

2 May 2020 AFF on Air Podcast

Travelling to North Korea – AIR035

  When Peru suddenly went into lockdown in March, hundreds of Australians were stranded all over the country, unaware of what was going on or how many others were in the same situation. Within days, Gus Higgins created the “Aussies in Peru” Facebook group which has been credited with connecting most of those Australians and … Continued

2 May 2020 AFF on Air (blubrry)

LATAM Airlines Has Left Oneworld

South American airline LATAM has left the Oneworld alliance today. LATAM Airlines announced its intention to exit Oneworld in September 2019, initially proposing an October 2020 departure date. This was later brought forward to 1 May 2020. Although LATAM Airlines has departed the Oneworld alliance, it retains extensive partnerships with some Oneworld member airlines including … Continued

1 May 2020 LATAM Airlines