Flight Delays

Flight Delays is a popular topic for discussion at the Australian Frequent Flyer. No one welcomes delays of any kind, but sometimes they are unavoidable.

Shonkys award for Qantas, with Marg Rafferty, Editorial Director

Does Australia Need EU-Style Air Passenger Protections?

Last week, consumer advocacy group Choice awarded Qantas its annual Shonky Award for “unusable flight credits, delayed flights, disappearing baggage, and endless call wait times”. It described the flying kangaroo as “The Spirit of Disappointment” for letting down many of its customers. “People are still paying premium prices to fly Qantas, but it’s clear from … Continued

7 Nov 2022 Qantas
Cancelled flights

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
Businessman hand giving money - Australian dollars

Airlines Offer Thousands to Switch from Overbooked Flights

With many flights to Australia currently fully booked or even oversold, airlines have been turning to desperate measures to encourage passengers to give up their seats. AFF member albatross710 was recently booked to fly from Vancouver to Brisbane on Air Canada. At the boarding gate, airline staff were calling for 7 volunteers to give up … Continued

10 Oct 2022 Other Airlines
A Cathay Pacific A350 and Japan Airlines 767 at Vancouver Airport

Qantas Partner Awards: What If The Airline Cancels Your Flight?

When redeeming Qantas points to fly overseas, you’ll often end up on a partner airline as it can be difficult to find award availability on Qantas-operated flights to destinations such as Europe – especially in premium cabins. Redeeming points to fly on a partner airline is a perfectly normal aspect of most frequent flyer programs. … Continued

3 Oct 2022 Qantas
Jetstar 787 takes off

No Seats Available on Jetstar to Bali For Next 3 Weeks

Jetstar is not currently selling any seats on its flights between Australia and Denpasar for travel until 17 October 2022 – after the end of the school holidays. These seats were removed from sale more than a week ago and have not returned. While some flights are likely fully booked due to the school holidays, … Continued

29 Sep 2022 Jetstar
Terminal 3 Qantas check-in area at Sydney Airport

Does Travel Insurance Cover Lost Points?

Travel insurance is essential to ensure you aren’t left out of picket if your trip is disrupted by events outside of your control. If you’re unable to continue your journey as planned, for example, travel insurance may cover the cost of rebooking or cancelling your flights, or purchasing a replacement ticket. But what if you’ve … Continued

18 Sep 2022 Travel Lifestyle
Alan Joyce apology video

Qantas Status Extensions & Gifts Offered as Apology

Qantas will offer flight discounts, more Classic Reward availability and other bonus benefits to its frequent flyers in an attempt to apologise for the “recent operational challenges” that have seen many flights delayed or cancelled and bags go missing. All Qantas Frequent Flyer members will also receive a further 12-month status extension. Qantas says it … Continued

21 Aug 2022 Qantas
Qantas First Lounge departures board

Qantas Adjusts Departure Times By One Minute

Thousands of Qantas passengers with international bookings received notifications on Tuesday that their flight’s departure time had been pushed back by one minute. Then, on Wednesday, Qantas moved the departure times on these flights forward by one minute – reinstating their original departure times. Qantas international flights departing Sydney and Melbourne were affected by the … Continued

17 Aug 2022 Qantas