Latest news

Australia-USA Flights at 50% of Pre-COVID Capacity

At the start of 2020, Qantas was selling around 34,000 weekly seats between Australia and five destinations in the continental United States. It’s now operating just over 13,000 weekly seats in this market, with services to Los Angeles and Dallas only. Virgin Australia, meanwhile, has stopped flying to the United States altogether. Virgin used to … Continued

6 Nov 2022 United Airlines

Qatar Airways’ Bizarre Daily Melbourne-Adelaide Flight

Since the beginning of October, Qatar Airways has been running a Boeing 777 every day from Melbourne to Adelaide and back without passengers.

5 Nov 2022 Qatar Airways

Has Virgin Australia Had Its Goldilocks Moment?

In the seven years leading up to the pandemic, Virgin Australia never once made an annual profit. Already in a weak financial position, it didn’t take long after COVID-19 hit for Australia’s second-largest airline to enter voluntary administration. Virgin Australia had been a good airline that was popular with passengers, but for too long was … Continued

3 Nov 2022 Virgin Australia

QantasLink E190 Business Class Review (Adelaide-Darwin)

Last year, Qantas expanded its regional fleet by wet leasing Embraer E190 jets from Alliance Airlines. These aircraft are now being used on many regional routes across Australia, particularly out of Adelaide, Darwin, Alice Springs, Canberra and Townsville. The Embraer E190s flying for QantasLink have spacious cabins with Business and Economy seating. Economy seats are … Continued

2 Nov 2022 Flight Reviews

Use Qantas Points to Fly on Bangkok Airways

Qantas Frequent Flyer members can now redeem their points for Classic Flight Reward seats on Bangkok Airways, a boutique airline based in Thailand. The expansion of Qantas’ partnership with Bangkok Airways was first announced in 2019 but delayed due to COVID-19. It’s now finally a reality. Classic Flight Reward seats in Economy Class are available … Continued

1 Nov 2022 Points Inspiration Qantas

8 Excellent (Non-First Class) Airline Meals

When flying international First Class, the meal service is designed to be a luxurious, multi-course dining experience. But you don’t necessarily have to be flying First to get great food on board! Because airline meals are generally produced on a mass scale and are often reheated from frozen, they can at times be quite awful. … Continued

30 Oct 2022 In Flight

What Are The IATA Northern Winter & Summer Schedules?

Today marks the beginning of the 2022-23 IATA northern winter scheduling period. For passengers, this doesn’t really mean much – but it’s a significant date for airline schedulers. Many new airline route launches, cancellations or restarts are planned around the IATA scheduling seasons. With today heralding in the new IATA northern winter season, for example, … Continued

30 Oct 2022 Airlines, Miles and Points

Qatar Airways Stops Selling Flights to Canberra

Qatar Airways’ new route to Canberra could be dead in the water before it even started. In July of this year, Qatar Airways announced that it would launch daily flights from Doha to Canberra via Melbourne from 1 October 2022. But shortly before this route was due to launch, the Qatari airline announced that the … Continued

29 Oct 2022 Qatar Airways

Podcast #96: 49 Years in the Cockpit

Retired pilot Ron Haack flew for 49 years, starting his career in the Royal Australian Air Force and finishing up flying Airbus A330s and Boeing 747s for Qantas. In episode 96 of the AFF on Air podcast, Ron joins Matt for a chat about the life of a pilot and some of the more challenging … Continued

29 Oct 2022 AFF on Air Podcast

49 Years in the Cockpit – AIR096

  In the episode, Matt chats to Ron Haack, a recently retired pilot. Ron began his career in the Royal Australian Air Force and then flew for Qantas for 24 years, flying Airbus A330s and Boeing 747-400s.   Episode contents: 0:55 – Fortnightly news round-up 8:48 – Interview with Ron Haack 34:00 – Feedback from … Continued

29 Oct 2022 AFF on Air (blubrry)

How Will Virgin Australia Launch Flights to Tokyo?

Just before the COVID-19 pandemic began, Virgin Australia won a daily slot to operate flights to Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Virgin prepared for months to launch daily Airbus A330-200 flights from Brisbane to Tokyo, which were to be operated in partnership with All Nippon Airways. The airline even began selling tickets and had planned a big … Continued

27 Oct 2022 Virgin Australia

Air NZ Removes “Seat Only” Fares to Perth, Hawaii & Tahiti

Over the past decade or so, there has been a clear trend in the airline industry to “unbundle” airfares. For the increasingly prominent low-cost carriers, selling cheap tickets with optional add-ons is a core part of the business model. But even some full-service legacy carriers have launched “light” or “basic” fares in recent years which … Continued

26 Oct 2022 Air New Zealand