Beware of Virgin’s All-Economy 737s and A320s
Virgin Australia has taken delivery of Boeing 737-700s in an all-Economy configuration. There is no Business cabin, leading to downgrades.
Economy Class is a popular topic at the Australian Frequent Flyer as this is by far the most common class of travel. Airline standards do vary, but most full service airlines offer a comfortable product.
Virgin Australia has taken delivery of Boeing 737-700s in an all-Economy configuration. There is no Business cabin, leading to downgrades.
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
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
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
Air Canada uses Boeing 787 Dreamliners on many long-haul international routes, including from Sydney and Brisbane to Vancouver. These aircraft are also frequently used on busy domestic routes such as Toronto-Vancouver. For this review, I tested out Air Canada’s Boeing 787-9 Economy Class on a relatively short Canadian domestic flight from Vancouver to Calgary. Flight … Continued
When I needed to fly from Melbourne to Sydney with a checked bag this week, I’ll be honest – Qantas was not my first choice. Given all the delays, cancellations and lost bags of late – combined with Qantas’ woeful customer service on the ground when things go wrong – I would have preferred to … Continued
Regional Express, or Rex, began operating Boeing 737s between Australian capital cities in March 2021. Beginning with the lucrative Melbourne-Sydney route, it has since expanded its Boeing 737 network to Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Canberra. By many accounts, Rex initially struggled to fill its planes with paying customers. This is despite a relatively good … Continued
KrisFlyer, the frequent flyer program of Singapore Airlines, is full of hidden gems! And it’s relatively easy to earn KrisFlyer miles in Australia through credit cards or – from 19 July 2022 – by transferring points over from Velocity. As well as redeeming KrisFlyer miles for Singapore Airlines flights, miles can be redeemed to fly … Continued
Air New Zealand has revealed the new Business Class and Premium Economy seats that it will install on its long-haul fleet of Boeing 787 aircraft from 2024. The new cabins are set to offer a markedly better experience for passengers, particularly in “Business Premier”. The airline is also proceeding with plans to install bunk beds … Continued
Qantas passengers will finally be able to select exit row and extra legroom seats on long-haul flights again from tomorrow, with the airline removing the block on these seats that was introduced two years ago. When flying long-haul in Economy Class to faraway destinations like Singapore, Johannesburg, Los Angeles or London, an exit row seat … Continued
If you’re travelling around Europe, you may come across an airline called Eurowings. Part of the Lufthansa Group, Eurowings is a low-cost carrier based in Germany. Eurowings operates a large network of short-haul flights to destinations all over Europe using Airbus A319 and A320 aircraft. While its parent company Lufthansa operates many short-haul and long-haul … Continued
Last week, Qantas announced a huge order of brand new Airbus aircraft. The showpiece of the announcement was the new Airbus A350-1000s which will fly Qantas’ non-stop “Project Sunrise” flights from Sydney to London and New York. But Qantas also announced a large order of Airbus A321XLR and A220 aircraft which will ultimately replace the … Continued