Latest news

Experiences with Asiana Airlines

Ahead of a trip to New York, one member is currently researching flights. They’ve flown to the United States via Los Angeles several times. This time, they’re considering flying Asiana Airlines for a change. Based in Korea, Asiana Airlines is a Star Alliance member offering daily flights from Sydney to Seoul and beyond. Before booking … Continued

31 Jul 2017 Other Airlines

Qatar Airways Coming to Canberra

Qatar Airways will commence daily Boeing 777 flights to Canberra, of all places, from 12 February 2018. The new route looks like a big win for Canberra, but the real winner is Sydney. The Canberra-Doha flights will operate via Sydney in both directions, meaning that Sydney receives a second daily direct flight to Doha. Meanwhile, … Continued

29 Jul 2017 Qatar Airways

Qantas Compensation Farce

A Qantas flyer is still waiting for compensation after they were downgraded from First class. This member had booked a First class award from Dallas to Sydney for his wife using Qantas points. But the flight was cancelled at short notice. An alternative routing was offered via Los Angeles and Auckland on other airlines, but … Continued

27 Jul 2017 Qantas

Complimentary Virgin Status Upgrades

It’s relatively well-known that Qantas will occasionally renew a frequent flyer’s status, even if the required number of status credits is not earned. But it seems Virgin Australia is also now upgrading its members’ status levels, even if they haven’t quite flown enough. One member recently had their status upgraded from Gold to Platinum, even … Continued

26 Jul 2017 Virgin Australia

Singapore Airlines Premium Economy: A Worthwhile Investment

On a recent trip to Frankfurt, our member dxwell decided to splurge on Premium Economy tickets with Singapore Airlines. After a very pleasant flight, they now wonder why they hadn’t tried Premium Economy sooner! I recently flew SQ Premium Economy from SIN to FRA and found both the hard product and soft product to be of very high quality. … Continued

24 Jul 2017 Singapore Airlines

Diners Club: Still Good Value?

The value in many Australian credit cards has diminished in recent months, as banks respond to the RBA’s new interchange fee rules. But how have the changes affected Diners Club, which markets itself as a “premium” option? Diners Club credit card points can be transferred to a very wide range of airline frequent flyer and … Continued

22 Jul 2017 Credit Cards

Airport Lounges: Money down the Drain?

Many frequent flyers go out of their way to access airport lounges. Some purchase lounge memberships; others always book the same airline so they can use the lounge. But is airport lounge access really worth paying for? At least one member believes not. This member opines that the food and beverage at terminal retail outlets … Continued

20 Jul 2017 Airports & Lounges

Call and Surf Overseas without Roaming Fees

Using your mobile phone overseas can be an expensive exercise. But it doesn’t have to be. Many telcos now offer special deals on global roaming. You can save even more money by purchasing a local SIM card at your destination. If you want to keep your Australian phone number when travelling overseas, you’ll need to … Continued

19 Jul 2017 Travel Tools & Technology

New Business Seats for Virgin’s 737s

As Virgin Australia expands its presence in Hong Kong and China (starting with the launch of Melbourne-Hong Kong flights this month), the airline is left with a small problem. Virgin will soon be using its small fleet of six wide-body Airbus A330 aircraft to fly to Asia. This means these aircraft will no longer be … Continued

17 Jul 2017 Virgin Australia

Virgin Rescinds Points on Air New Zealand

Virgin Australia frequent flyers will no longer earn Velocity points or status credits when flying Air New Zealand across the Pacific from 1 November, 2017. From this date, points will only be earned when flying Air New Zealand across the Tasman or within New Zealand. Velocity Silver, Gold and Platinum members will also lose access … Continued

15 Jul 2017 Air New Zealand Virgin Australia

Faking Platinum One Status

It takes a lot of flying to achieve Qantas Platinum One status. But as one member recently discovered, there is another way. Well, kind of… This member recently noticed that a colleague with Gold status was proudly displaying Platinum One bag tags on their luggage. When questioned, this colleague admitted to buying the Q bag … Continued

13 Jul 2017 Qantas

Driving Ireland (Plus Some Detours)

Our member OZDUCK recently returned from a month-long trip around Ireland. The trip also included a range of detours to places like Singapore, Helsinki and Tallinn. To get to Dublin, our member took advantage of a great Finnair Business Class sale to Europe, departing from Singapore. Singapore Airlines then filled the gap between Perth and … Continued

12 Jul 2017 Destinations