Latest news

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

Sydney-Melbourne in Qantas Business Class: 737 or A330?

When flying from Sydney to Melbourne with Qantas, you’ll often have the choice to fly on a narrow-body Boeing 737 or a wide-body Airbus A330. The Airbus A330 is a more popular aircraft with most passengers because it has a better Business Class product and is more spacious. On the Qantas A330, all Business Class … Continued

26 Oct 2022 Qantas

Review: Canberra-Sydney with Link Airways (Virgin Australia)

Since March 2022, Link Airways has been operating the Canberra-Sydney route on behalf of Virgin Australia using Saab 340 turboprop aircraft. These flights are marketed by Virgin Australia and carry “VA” flight numbers. The usual Velocity Frequent Flyer benefits apply in the same way that they would for a Virgin Australia flight, meaning you can … Continued

25 Oct 2022 Flight Reviews

Jetstar Strands Passengers in Bali for 18 Days

A family of four was left stranded in Bali for 18 days after Jetstar cancelled their flight home and didn’t offer an alternative flight until more than two weeks later. After a holiday in Indonesia, AFF member Hutch0007 and their family was booked to return to Melbourne on a Jetstar flight departing on 16 September 2022. … Continued

24 Oct 2022 Jetstar

Newcastle Gathering Marks Return of AFF Events!

Over the weekend, around 40 AFF members travelled to Newcastle, NSW for the 15th annual weekend get-together. A long-standing Australian Frequent Flyer tradition, these weekends are a great opportunity to meet other frequent flyers and fellow points enthusiasts to share travel tips and see some of the sights at the destination. Last year’s event, also … Continued

24 Oct 2022 Travel Lifestyle

Giving Gifts to the Cabin Crew: A Good Idea?

Being a flight attendant may seem like a glamorous job, but it can also be a thankless one. Airline cabin crew are highly trained, work long hours, put up with a lot of difficult passengers and at the end of the day, are responsible for the safety of their passengers – a tough job that … Continued

20 Oct 2022 In Flight

Qantas Pauses Perth-Johannesburg Ticket Sales

Update (25 October): Due to issues with Border Force and customs processing inbound passengers at Terminal 3 of Perth Airport, Qantas has cancelled its planned launch of Perth-Jakarta flights and the Perth-Johannesburg route will only run until March 2023 at this stage. Qantas has temporarily removed all Perth-Johannesburg flights from sale, as it finalises customs … Continued

19 Oct 2022 Qantas

Qantas 737 Trans-Tasman Economy Class Review

New Zealand is one of the most important international destinations for Qantas. Competing with Air New Zealand on many routes, Qantas currently offers 182 trans-Tasman flights per week using a mix of Boeing 737 and Airbus A330 aircraft. While Air New Zealand is effectively a low-cost carrier across the ditch, charging extra for things like … Continued

19 Oct 2022 Flight Reviews

Marriott Ends Bonus Points on Transfers to 3 Airlines

Although it’s a hotel loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy can be very useful as a means of collecting frequent flyer points or miles with overseas frequent flyer programs. Marriott Bonvoy points can be earned in Australia by staying at hotels, transferring points from American Express Membership Rewards or even buying points directly from Marriott. Those points … Continued

19 Oct 2022 Marriott Bonvoy

Virgin, Qatar Partnership Teething Issues

It’s just over a month since Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways launched a new strategic partnership. As well as earning and redeeming points on each others’ flights, this agreement promises Velocity Gold, Platinum and Beyond members access to priority check-in, priority boarding and lounges when flying with Qatar Airways. It’s a great value-add to the … Continued

17 Oct 2022 Qatar Airways Virgin Australia

Qantas Expects International Airfares to Come Down

If you’ve looked at international airfares lately, you may have noticed how much more expensive they are compared to pre-COVID times. In fact, Qantas Business Class fares on some routes are now selling for close to $30,000 return during busy travel periods. As Australian Frequent Flyer covered recently, there are numerous reasons for the high … Continued

16 Oct 2022 Qantas

Podcast #95: Qatar Airways Qsuites & Avios Subscriptions

With Qatar Airways now only giving Qantas frequent flyers access to Business & First Class reward seats around 4 months out from departure, it’s become a lot harder to redeem Qantas points for Qatar Airways Qsuites. You can still redeem Velocity points for Qatar Airways flights up to 330 days ahead. But Qatar Airways Privilege … Continued

15 Oct 2022 AFF on Air Podcast