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Middle Seat Protocol

One member this week seeks guidance on the correct flight etiquette when faced with a vacant seat in the middle of a three seat row. On a recent trip this flyer experienced fellow pax acting, in their view arrogantly, by completely dominating the vacant middle seat for their own possessions and food tray. Some members … Continued

19 Feb 2015 Travel Lifestyle

Belize and Guatemala: A Mayan adventure

This week our member RooFlyer is escaping a freezing winter in North America to visit the former Mayan civilisation in Belize and Guatemala. The trip was booked at the last minute using American Airlines AAdvantage miles. As our member discovered, American charge a USD$75 fee for award bookings made less than 21 days out. But … Continued

18 Feb 2015 Destinations

Who to book with when flying Singapore Airlines as a Velocity member?

This week a member is looking to book a trip to Asia on Singapore Airlines. As a Velocity member, they would like to book with Virgin Australia however to do so would cost $132 more. Understandably they are wondering what, if anything, one gets for that extra $132. Hi, just looking into booking a fare … Continued

17 Feb 2015 Singapore Airlines

Malaysia Airlines redemptions to become more expensive

Malaysia Airlines has become the latest airline to devalue its frequent flyer program. As well as making changes to the way miles are earned, the airline has significantly increased the number of Enrich miles required for reward flights. As well the increase to redemption costs, Malaysia Airlines is making changes to zones that leave most … Continued

16 Feb 2015 Malaysia Airlines

How does Emirates Economy stack up?

Emirates is often praised for its extravagant business and first class offering. But is the glamour associated with Emirates reflected in economy class? One of our members recently travelled from Melbourne to Singapore on board an Emirates Boeing 777. Despite a small delay, there are plenty of positives about the flight. The young cabin crew … Continued

11 Feb 2015 Flight Reviews

Velocity Frequent Flyer: Where are the partner reward seats?

Finding Velocity Frequent Flyer reward seats on partner airlines, such as Etihad, Delta, Virgin Atlantic and Virgin America, has proven a struggle for one of our members. The member wants to use their Virgin points to fly to the USA and Europe. However, they have been finding that award availability on some partner airlines has … Continued

10 Feb 2015 Virgin Australia

Qantas Aquire annual fee axed

Qantas has removed the annual fee charged to businesses for ongoing membership of Aquire, its loyalty program for small-to-medium businesses. The removal of the $179 yearly payment makes Aquire significantly more attractive to business owners. The change was announced along with various other improvements to the program including the addition of three new partners and … Continued

9 Feb 2015 Qantas

International Travel with children is now easier

Smartgates have been a welcome introduction to the immigration process for international travellers since their introduction about a decade ago. The machines make the process of arriving and departing into the country quicker and more convenient. But passengers travelling with children under sixteen have been unable to use the gates… until now. The signs at … Continued

7 Feb 2015 Travel Lifestyle

Qantas Fuel Surcharge Cuts: Smoke and Mirrors or Tangible Benefit?

Qantas has announced that fuel-related surcharges will now gradually be absorbed into base fares for Frequent Flyer redemption tickets. This announcement has been trumpeted as Qantas delivering a real and tangible benefit to loyal frequent flyers. However, many of our members remain sceptical about this announcement. One member has opined that until Qantas are in … Continued

5 Feb 2015 Qantas

Qantas scenic flight to Antarctica!

This week we follow a trip to a continent no doubt on the bucket lists of many Australians, but one that most of us will probably never get a chance to visit. This southern content is incredibly isolated (with scientists and penguins some of the only inhabitants) but has a certain level of intrigue and … Continued

4 Feb 2015 Flight Reviews

Where are the best (and worst) Taxi drivers?

There are plenty of good taxi drivers out there… and then there are the ones that try to rip you off, don’t drive to the road rules and have loud conversations in a language you don’t understand. This week the question of where you will find the best and worst taxis drivers was asked, and … Continued

3 Feb 2015 Ground Transport

British Airways to devalue its Frequent Flyer program

Following the lead of many airlines over recent months, British Airways is restructuring its frequent flyer program. As such changes usually are, this is largely bad news for British Airways Executive Club members as significantly fewer Avios miles and Tier points will be earned on the cheapest economy fares. But it appears that British Airways … Continued

2 Feb 2015 British Airways