Airline status ensures an enjoyable experience when flying with the airline putting you ahead of the crowd when trying to get an upgrade, complimentary lounge access and other benefits.
Qantas has quietly slashed the number of frequent flyer points and status credits earned when flying on many partner airlines. It’s the second major change in as many years, and many members are not happy. Status credits determine a member’s elite status level with the airline, so a decrease in the number of status credits … Continued
Speculation is rife that some major changes to Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer program are just around the corner. Benefits offered to frequent flyers would likely be at the heart of the changes, with lifetime Platinum status among the many developments under consideration. The speculation is the result of a recent survey sent to Gold … Continued
Cathay Pacific is overhauling its Marco Polo Club program, with changes to take effect from 15 April, 2016. These changes will make it more difficult to earn high tier Gold and Diamond status, however the benefits of these status tiers will also increase. Among other new benefits, Diamond members can now gift a friend or … Continued
Many Australians are members of either Qantas Frequent Flyer or Virgin Australia’s Velocity program – or both. Each program boasts some fantastic features and benefits, but which offers the best perks and the greatest overall value? Many of our members believe that Qantas comes out on top for numerous reasons. Firstly, Qantas’ larger range of … Continued
Hotel loyalty programs, such as the Hilton Hotels “HHonors” scheme are sometimes overlooked. But for frequent travellers, there are some fantastic benefits on offer. The key benefits of hotel status, apart from free hotel nights, come with elite status. Hilton’s program has three premium status tiers; Silver, Gold and Diamond. Silver status is earned after … Continued
It’s not that long ago that Qantas Platinum status came with the “ultimate” in perks. No expense was to be spared for the airline’s valuable Platinum members. But with Platinum One (and Chairman’s Lounge) members now trumping Platinum members, combined with a seemingly never-ending cycle of devaluations and cost-cutting, some members feel that their Platinum … Continued
After many years of loyalty to the flying kangaroo, one dissatisfied member feels that Qantas has failed to return the favour. This member has held Platinum status for over a decade, but had to put overseas travel on hold for a year due to the birth of a child. Qantas does not allow members to … Continued
Our member FIFOSuit recently headed to the United States for a whirlwind of a trip. Six US and Canadian cities including Las Vegas, New York and Toronto were visited in just twelve days. As a Velocity frequent flyer, our member decided to fly with Virgin Australia to LA. Delta, Virgin’s partner airline, was used for … Continued
If you hold elite status with any airline, you may be able to get it matched by another airline for free! Numerous status match deals have been circulating on AFF lately. Two of the most popular are from Airberlin of the oneworld alliance and Alitalia, a member of the SkyTeam alliance. A status match is … Continued
A new member will soon begin commuting weekly between the Gold Coast and Sydney for work. While they are keen to maximise comfort and perks, they will be paying for all flights out of their own pocket. With this in mind, our member wonders whether the money saved by flying low-cost might outweigh the benefits … Continued
We are currently approaching one year since Qantas stopped selling JASAs, or business class Any Seat Awards. These awards were very popular as our members were able to book reward seats at classic award prices, and also earn points and status credits for the journey. Some of our clever members, such as amaroo, bought one … Continued
Our members have some confessions to make. This week they discuss the excuses offered to friends and family when trying to explain their frequent flying. While some travel frequently for work, flying is an exciting yet misunderstood hobby for others. For some of our fortunate members, regular overseas travel is considered normal. Some members fly … Continued