Podcast #102: Airline Alliances with Mark Ross-Smith
In episode 102 of AFF on Air, loyalty expert Mark Ross-Smith explains how airline alliances like Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance work behind the scenes.
AFF on Air was the Australian Frequent Flyer podcast from 2019 until 2023, featuring tips, tricks and chat for Australian travellers.
Keep up with the latest airline, aviation & loyalty program news, and learn the best Qantas Frequent Flyer and Virgin Australia Velocity point hacks! Hosted by Australian Frequent Flyer editor Matt Graham, this free podcast features interviews with experts from the travel industry.
You can view a selection of recent episodes below, or listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or any other podcast platform.
This podcast was superseded by the Travel Pointers podcast.
In episode 102 of AFF on Air, loyalty expert Mark Ross-Smith explains how airline alliances like Oneworld, SkyTeam and Star Alliance work behind the scenes.
Silva McLeod was Tonga's first female airline pilot. In episode 101 of the AFF on Air podcast, Silva shares the inspiring journey that took her from a small island in the Pacific to the cockpit of a Virgin Australia Boeing 777 - flying over the Pacific.
It's our 100th episode of the AFF on Air podcast! To celebrate this milestone, we're taking a look back at the early days of the Australian Frequent Flyer forum with the website's founder, Clifford Reichlin.
In episode 99 of the AFF on Air podcast, Bonza CEO Tim Jordan joins Matt to discuss the airline's recent launch, route network, marketing, cabin crew, why the Bonza website doesn't offer bookings, and lots more!
In episode 98 of AFF on Air, Matt and James from Award Flight Assist explain where to find Qantas, Velocity or KrisFlyer reward flights.
Air Canada’s Aeroplan frequent flyer program is one that flies under the radar for most Australians. But it’s one that perhaps deserves more attention. Aeroplan was redesigned and relaunched in 2020 by people who are themselves aviation geeks and avid frequent flyers. They “get” what motivates points and status collectors, and they’ve done a lot … Continued
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
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
When redeeming for flights, the key to really maximising the value of your frequent flyer points is to understand how airline award charts work. These charts determine the number of points you’ll need for a flight redemption, and you can get outsized value by exploiting any loopholes or sweet spots in the award charts. With most … Continued
American Express Membership Rewards points are already one of the most useful and valuable points currencies in Australia. That’s because you have the option to transfer your points to nine different airline frequent flyer programs (plus Qantas Frequent Flyer, if you have an Amex Platinum or Centurion card). Amex points can also be converted to … Continued
Many Australian frequent flyers will be familiar with Qantas’ Oneworld Classic Flight Reward – the multi-city award that lets you fly up to 35,000 miles on Oneworld airlines, with up to 5 stopovers, for a cost of 318,000 Qantas points + taxes in Business Class. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer also offers its own version of this award … Continued
International travel is gradually returning to normal, but heading overseas in 2022 still involves some unique challenges. One factor is the current chaos of the global aviation industry, which has largely been caught off guard and is struggling to keep up with demand. This is leading to many flight cancellations and checked bags going missing. Another … Continued