From the late 1940s until the 1990s, Australia operated under a two airline policy. That policy put in place a law that specified only two airlines could operate the routes between major cities. Over the time it was in place, travel by air was expensive, and often inflexible. For some routes, there would be two … Continued
When it comes to scams, unfortunately airlines are often good fodder for the scammers. As they are in the business of transporting thousands of people a day, it’s easy for the crooks to find a victim who recently took a flight. For the past few weeks, it has been Virgins turn, and a few of … Continued
Many of our members who have had the pleasure of flying through Albury in recent months might have noticed the same Virgin ATR72 aircraft parked there since late February. While parked aircraft are not unusual, aircraft that are in airline service don’t stand still for long. It was certainly noticed by the Industry with pilot … Continued
One of the hardest things about being a status holder with one airline is changing to the competition and missing out on your status benefits. Historically, much of government travel would be locked in with one provider. But with recent legislative changes, travel can now be on any airline, with the best fare of the … Continued
Over the past few years, as Virgin Australia underwent their transformation led from the top by John Borghetti, partnerships have been formed with new airlines to grow the network. These partnerships in many instances are meant to replicate the experience of flying with Virgin, when it comes to elite status benefits. Priority check in, lounge … Continued
Chatting with crew is always an interesting and informative way to pass the time on a flight. While often it’s discussing the more mundane things in life like the weather or political affairs, sometimes the odd gem pops up. On some recent Virgin flights, it seems a few of those gems have been along the … Continued
The last fifteen years or so there have been many changes in the local airline market. With the collapse of Ansett, Qantas rose to a dominant position. In recent years, Virgin Australia has seen the opportunity to change its model and move into the full service space. A Frequent Flyer program introduced, along with lounges, … Continued
In the past 2 years, the two big airlines, Qantas and Virgin, have been adding capacity in the battle for the consumer’s dollar. At the lower cost end of the market, Jetstar has also been adding capacity, while Tiger was restricted by authorities from expanding after their grounding. With all this extra capacity, consumers, it … Continued
Last week saw the launch of a new frequent flyer program in Australia celebrated with 5,000 lucky members getting $100 flight vouchers. And there is another 2,500 vouchers to be won. But this program is a program with a little bit of difference to what we are used to. At first glance it’s not really … Continued
Partnerships versus alliances, what does it mean for you as the frequent flying customer? One of the biggest changes in recent years has been the move away from the three main global alliances – One World, Star and Skyteam, to partnerships between two airlines offering benefits to each others customers. Codeshares have been around a … Continued