Latest news

Qantas Auckland Lounges are Tired & Dirty

Last week, the brand new Virgin Australia Lounge in Wellington received some serious criticism from an AFF member. But this week, Qantas has also come under fire for the quality of its lounges at one of its airports across the ditch. The Qantas Business and First Class lounges in Auckland are, frankly, in dire need … Continued

28 Apr 2019 Airport Lounge Reviews

Aer Lingus Axes Qantas, Cathay Pacific Partnerships

You’ll soon no longer be able to earn or redeem Qantas points or Cathay Pacific Asia Miles for Aer Lingus flights. From 30 June 2019, the Irish flag carrier will terminate its partnership with both Oneworld carriers. The ability to earn Aer Lingus AerClub Avios on Qantas and Cathay Pacific flights is also being removed. … Continued

28 Apr 2019 Other Airlines

Cathay Pacific to Cut Cairns Connection

Cathay Pacific is reportedly ending service to Cairns after 25 years on the Cairns-Hong Kong route. According to TropicNow, Cathay Pacific yesterday advised Cairns Airport of the commercial decision to end service to Far North Queensland. At this stage, the Cairns-Hong Kong flights would cease operating when the northern winter season begins on 27 October … Continued

27 Apr 2019 Cathay Pacific

The Qantas Website Should Display Fare Classes

The lack of fare class information on the Qantas website has long been a source of frustration for frequent flyers. When booking a flight, the fare class has many implications in terms of the fare conditions, ability to upgrade and earning frequent flyer points. Yet, the Qantas website does not display the fare class that is … Continued

25 Apr 2019 Qantas

The Ultimate Sao Paulo Stopover Guide

If you’re visiting Brazil, you’ll almost certainly fly through Sao Paulo’s Guarulhos International Airport. It’s one of the largest airports in South America and a major hub for LATAM Airlines and Avianca Brazil. Sao Paulo also happens to be the largest city in the southern hemisphere, so you won’t be bored if you decide to … Continued

24 Apr 2019 Stopover Guides

Best Ways to Spend a Million KrisFlyer Miles

For many frequent flyers, having a million Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer miles would be a dream come true. But, after the recent Amex changes, this is a reality for some. Many Australians recently transferred large quantities of Amex Membership Rewards points to the KrisFlyer program, in order to prevent their Amex points from losing value. So, … Continued

23 Apr 2019 Points Inspiration Singapore Airlines

Jet Airways Suspends All Flights

Jet Airways, one of India’s largest airlines and a Qantas Frequent Flyer partner, has suspended all flights. At this stage, the debt-ridden airline believes it may be able to secure new investors – a process which could take three to four weeks – and eventually resume operations. However, at this stage it’s unclear if the … Continued

22 Apr 2019 Other Airlines

Virgin Expands Hawaiian Airlines Codeshares

Virgin Australia has expanded its codeshare partnership with Hawaiian Airlines. Virgin has added its “VA” code to Hawaiian’s Brisbane-Honolulu route, meaning Velocity Gold and Platinum members finally have lounge access in Brisbane when flying to Hawaii. However, booking the Virgin Australia codeshare comes at a cost… literally. Hawaiian Airlines flies three times per week from … Continued

21 Apr 2019 Virgin Australia

Podcast #9: Hyperinflation of Points

Frequent flyer points are a valuable currency, but they are not immune from hyperinflation! Airlines increase the cost of redeeming points – thus reducing the value of points – all the time and often without warning. In Episode 9 of the AFF on AIR podcast, Matt discusses why frequent flyer points are a terrible long-term … Continued

20 Apr 2019 AFF on Air Podcast

Hyperinflation of Points – AIR009

  Frequent flyer points are a valuable currency, but they aren’t immune from hyperinflation! In this episode, Matt discusses why frequent flyer points are a terrible long-term investment. This episode also includes an interview with Darwin-based frequent flyer Leon Loganathan about redeeming Alaska Airlines miles, Marriott Bonvoy, Emirates First Class, the Qantas call centre, the … Continued

20 Apr 2019 AFF on Air (blubrry)

First Review: Virgin Australia Wellington Lounge

Virgin Australia opened its first international lounge at Wellington Airport last Wednesday, 17 April. As it happens, AFF member scubabe was the first customer to use the new lounge. This member’s experience was so poor that they’ve vowed never to fly with Virgin Australia out of Wellington again. scubabe writes… At check-in this morning I was extremely … Continued

20 Apr 2019 Airport Lounge Reviews

Earning Points After April 2019 Amex Changes

Last weekend, the much-anticipated changes to Amex Membership Rewards took effect. The rate at which you’ll earn points on your Amex credit card has now changed, and in most cases, existing Amex Membership Rewards points are also now worth less. The Amex credit card devaluation has led to many AFF members reconsidering their credit card … Continued

18 Apr 2019 American Express