Latest news about airlines & their loyalty programs
bonza New Australian Domestic Airline On Track For 2Q2022 takeoff
Australian start-up airline Bonza says more than 35 airports have so far expressed interest in hosting its flights as it look to finalise
its domestic network in readiness to start services in the second quarter of 2022.
The start-up is seeking regulatory approval to start services on routes to regional and leisure destinations.
Bonza believes there is scope for a new ultra-low-cost entrant in the Australian market despite the existing battle for market share between
Qantas, Regional Express and Virgin Australia.
Its stated plan is to fly “point-to-point” on leisure routes not serviced by the 3 incumbents, using a fleet of two
to three new 737 MAXs
limited to a handful of services each week.
It’s a very competitive market so our fingers are crossed for them.
(photo courtesy of Bonza Airlines)
Alaska Airlines & BA Expand Codeshare Routes
Alaska Airlines continues to deepen its integration into the OneWorld network.
Since joining the OneWorld alliance on March 31 this year , it has quickly moved to forge partnerships with fellow members Qatar Airways and
Iberia Airlines.
It now has expanded its codeshare routes with long-term partner British Airways to 16 additional markets. The new
destinations connect its network beyond Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles to BA’s nonstop service from London Heathrow.
These BA codeshares combined with the new partnerships of Qatar Airways and Iberia Airlines together with the
existing partnerships with American Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Finnair combined will offer 16 daily international flights
to Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles – enabling seamless connectivity to Alaska’s comprehensive
network up and down the West Coast.
Alaska and its regional partners offer overseas passengers more than 120 destinations across the United States and
to Mexico, Canada and Costa Rica. So this development extends BA's reach into the Americas.
The ability to earn (and burn) miles with these partners provides great flexibility for Alaska Mileage members and a well connected network
into Europe.
United's Mile Play promotion - earn bonus miles by completing tasks via MilePlay promotion
United has just launched the latest version of its “MilePlay” promotion.
Through 31 January 2022, eligible MileagePlus members can earn bonus miles by completing various tasks (typically set based on their flying history).
Note that
You need to logon to your account & register for the promotion by January 31, 2022.
All promotion activities must be completed by January 31, 2022.
Only activities booked after registration are eligible for the promotion.
Allow six to eight weeks after the end of the promotion for the bonus miles to post to your account.
American Airlines today announced that effective from 1 January 2022, its loyalty program will move from their current approach
to AAdvantage Loyalty Points: a unified program where each eligible mile earned equals one loyalty point.
Members earn Loyalty Points whenever they fly, use an co-branded credit card for purchases, or earn eligible miles with AAdvantage partners.
A general member will earn 5 base points per eligible dollar spent. Loyalty Points will also determine tier status.
30,000 points = Gold Status = 40% tier bonus
75,000 points = Platinum Status = 60% tier bonus
125,000 points = Platinum Pro Status = 80% tier bonus
200,000 points = Executive Platinum Status = 120% tier bonus.
The elite status calendar will also be undergoing some changes:
The status qualification year will no longer be based on a calendar year. Instead, it will begin on March 1 and run through
the last day of February of the next year.
Elite status will be valid through March 31 the following year.
Hyatt members can earn 1,000 bonus AA miles per stay.
World of Hyatt members can earn 1,000 American Airlines AAdvantage® bonus miles per qualifying stay for a limited time.
The offer varies slightly by region, but you must be a member of both World of Hyatt and American Airlines AAdvantage and register for the
offer using both membership numbers.. The differences are:
* 130 hotels in 30+ countries across Europe, Middle East, Africa and India participating. You must
complete your qualifying stays by December 19, 2021
* 190 US
Hyatt properties participating and you must register by 15 December and qualifying stays must occur between 1
November, 2021, and 31
January, 2022.
You can see the lists of participating hotels after you register. Read on for more
details on the offer
targetted for you and T&C's.
Alaska Airlines and Iberia launch new codeshare agreement
Alaska Airlines yesterday further cemented its place as a member of the OneWorld alliance.
Following on from its codeshare agreement announced in July 2021 with Qatar Airlines, Alaska has further expanded its global reach with the
announcement of a new codeshare agreement with Iberia Airlines, providing flyers with exciting and convenient travel
options.
The agreement allows passengers on Iberia to book travel and easily connect to more than 40 routes throughout Alaska's network effective October 7, 2021. Iberia operates three weekly return flights between Madrid and Los Angeles, using Airbus A-330-200s (and a seasonal service between San Francisco and Barcelona). Iberia passengers
can now connect to more than 20 additional routes on the West Coast and Hawaii served by Alaska Airlines, including Anchorage, Fresno, Honolulu, Kona, Las Vegas, Portland, Reno-Tahoe, Seattle-Tacoma and Salt Lake City.
The partnership enables Alaska's Mileage Plan and Iberia Plus members to earn miles on each other's flights while
enjoying reciprocal elite benefits, including preferred seat selection; priority check-in, security clearance and boarding; lounge access; and extra baggage allowance.
Shangri-La extends status of its Diamond & Jade members until end of 2022 !
Shangri-La's Golden Circle has extended tier status for all of its Diamond and Jade members globally. With this extension, all Golden Circle
Diamond and Jade members will maintain their current tier status and benefits until 31 December 2022.
American
Express Platinum (multiple jurisdictions) members had the Golden Circle Jade status benefit discontinued on 31 March 2021, so this tier
extension is definitely welcome news. Golden Circle members typically need the following stays and nights to qualify or maintain their
status in the year ahead - Diamond: 50 Nights or 25 Stays or Jade: 20 Nights or 10 Stays.
But the Shangri-La status does not just have benefits by itself, but also, it has many associated perks which come with it, including:
1. Short-cut to Star Alliance Gold status - Shangri-La Jade-tier and Diamond-tier members receive instant KrisFlyer Silver
status once they join up their Shangri-La Golden Circle and Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer accounts. After that, Shangri-La Jade
Members need to take 3flights on Singapore Airlines, or just 1 flight as a Diamond member to receive KrisFlyer Gold status.
Once you have KrisFlyer Gold status, you have the equivalent of Star Alliance Gold status, which means you unlock the
associated benefits on flights on Star Alliance members across the globe.
2. Enjoy Taj InnerCircle Gold status - Under the terms of a strategic alliance between Shangri-La Golden Circle and Taj
Inner Circle, there is an automatic status match between the tiers of the programmes. Golden Circle Jade members match to InnerCircle
Gold and Golden Circle Diamond members match to InnerCircle Platinum (and vice-versa).
While Taj InnerCircle is mostly an Indian hotel company’s loyalty programme, Taj also has hotels in various countries worldwide, such as the
US, UAE and UK.
Shangri-La will also waive the cancellation charges regardless of booking channel for all guests, if cancelled more than 24
hours prior to arrival date. The hotels reserve the right to contact all inbound international guests at least 30 days prior to their
arrival dates to confirm or cancel their reservations.
These changes are part of the Shangri-La Cares program.
The 2021 Skytrax World Airline Awards winners were announced this week. ....and the winner of the 2021 Airline of the Year goes to...Qatar Airways. Singapore Airlines ranked 2nd, and ANA All Nippon Airways in 3rd place. Qantas
was ranked 8th
Qatar Airways also received the awards for the World’s Best Business Class, the World’s Best Business Class Seat and
the Best Airline in the Middle East.
Singapore Airlines, ranked No 2 worldwide, won the top accolade for the World’s Best Cabin Crew and was
also honoured with awards for the World’s Best First Class, the Best Airline in Asia and the World’s Best First
Class Seat.
ANA All Nippon Airways maintained its No 3 global ranking from last year and also won the World’s Best Airport
Services award. Winning the 2021 award as the World’s Cleanest Airline is a particularly important success during the global pandemic.
Best First Class class was awarded to Singapore Airlines, with Lufthansa and Emirates second and third
respectively.
The rankings for Best Business Class were identical to the overall rankings - Qatar, follwed by Singapore
and then ANA.
Virgin Atlantic was named the World's Best Premium Economy Class airline, ahead of Singapore Airlines in 2nd place and Lufthansa in 3rd position.
For more details, or to see how your favourites fared, click below.Read More…
Cathay Pacific recently announced that it will integrate its Asia Miles program (used for award flights) with its Marco Polo Club
program (broader rewards and tier benefits). Over the coming months, Cathay Pacific will be rolling out a range of new offers –
and these will culminate in a refreshed program ("Cathay") in the first half of 2022.
We will provide more details as they are released, but for comparison follow the link to see an infographic summarising the Cathay Pacific
programs as at June 2021.
Read More…
Free Virgin Australia flights on offer for Australians who receive jab
Virgin Australia will join Qantas in offering free flights as an incentive for Australians to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Under the airline’s VA-X & Win promotion, there'll be one major prize of 1 million Velocity Frequent Flyer points, "dozens of
free business class flights" as well as a range of other prizes.
A separate competition will be launched for team members, with prizes including additional annual leave, Lounge memberships, and free
business class flights.
Alaska and Qatar code-sharing
Alaska Airlines and Qatar Airlines have applied to codeshare on a number of routes operating in the Americas. Under the proposal, most routes are out of Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles with direct flights from Doha into those 3 "hub" cities.. The code-sharing opens up routes for Qatar into Mexico and Hawaii. For Alaska Airlines, it demonstrates its commitment as a new member of the OneWorld alliance and also provides a handy feeder into its US network. For more details, use the link below.
Qatar offer discount to Alaska MP members
Qatar Airways has launched a new coupon discount offer for Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members. You must book prior to 11
July 2021
and travel is to be completed by 11 July 2022. You can save $63 to $550 on ex-US itineraries depending on the class of
service and whether a one-way or return.
The promo code ‘MPMEMBERS’ must be entered at the time of flight search.
The promo code is valid for bookings on all Qatar Airways operated itineraries worldwide originating from the
United States only.
Through 31 July 2021, MVP Gold and MVP Gold 75K members flying on Emirates on a paid ticket, no matter the class, will receive lounge access at the Emirates Business Class flagship lounge in Dubai International Airport (DXB).
There remains a small window of opportunity. Award redemptions on Emirates are available through July 31, 2021. For future travel,
changes made to a booked award on Emirates on or after August 1, 2021, will require cancellation of the award and re-booking on a different
Alaska Airlines partner.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given it is another OneWorld member, award bookings for Qatar will become available in August 2021.
Earn Velocity points at 7-Eleven
Velocity has welcomed 7-Eleven as a new partner. Velocity members will now be able to earn points when purchasing fuel or convenience
items at any of the 700+ convenience stores located around Australia.
This will provide an easy way for Velocity's 10 million members to boost their points balance, in anticipation of when we can more easily take to the skies again.
Velocity members will earn:
2 Points per $1 on eligible 7-Eleven in-store purchases;
2 Points per litre on premium fuel at 7-Eleven; and
1 Point per litre on regular fuel at 7-Eleven.
Plus, Velocity members will earn 711 bonus Points on their first eligible purchase at 7-Eleven made by 28 June
2021.
For Velocity members to take advantage of this partnership, you will need to:
Have your Velocity membership details handy;
Download the My 7-Eleven appand follow the steps to link your Velocity
account to their My 7-Eleven My Card;
Make an eligible purchase from a 7-Eleven convenience store or fuel station and upon payment scan, your Velocity linked My 7-ElevenMy
Card.
Qantas announced plans on May 31st to giveaway a suite of mega prizes to Australians who get the COVID-19 vaccine, including unlimited
travel for a year. This is in addition to the announcement a week earlier that it would offer frequent flyer points along with travel
vouchers and status credits to Australians who get inoculated. It is understood the options being considered by Qantas include
giving people who get both their two COVID-19 jabs up to 1000 frequent flyer points, flight vouchers towards domestic and international
flights, and status credits, which allow people to move into high Frequent Flyer tiers.
Any reward would be available to people who had already received their jabs and the program would run until the end of 2021 when the vaccine
rollout is due to be completed; the details are yet to be completed.
Now, the national carrier has launched a further incentive scheme which it hopes will boost vaccination rates and help get state and
international borders reopened permanently.
“We’re looking at having 10 mega-prizes, at least one for each state or territory, where a family of four can have unlimited free travel for
a year on the Qantas and Jetstar networks,” CEO Alan Joyce revealed on Channel 7’s Sunrise program.
The trips would be in economy class and each of the ten winners. “In addition to that, the Accor Group have come on board and
they’re offering one million Accor Points, which gives free accommodation at 400 hotels and resorts across the country.”
Joyce said the program would launch in July, "will include anybody that has already been vaccinated (and) will apply to anybody that's
vaccinated through to the end of 2021."
“We have a vested interest in this, we want to do everything we can to ensure the borders domestically open and stay open and that we get
international up and running,” he explained.
The airline has consistently said that it will require all passengers to be vaccinated when it restarts international flights beyond New
Zealand.
More Australians vaccinated means more potential travellers making bookings.
While the moves may not be entirely altruistic, I think both companies are to be commended for “putting their money where their
mouth is” and not just relying on Government to provide support for the ailing sector.
It’s understood that vaccinated Australians will be able to claim their rewards and enter to win a mega-prize through the Qantas app from
July.
Don’t be surprised to see if this coincides with the launch of the Qantas/Accor
dual points earning
(crossover) capability that was announced in November 2020 as part of a closer strategic relationship between the companies. This too
was scheduled to launch mid-2021 and will be the first partnership of its kind between an airline and hospitality group in the Asia Pacific region.
Read More…
Latest news and views:
* Virgin Atlantic merger with Air France/KLM shelved.
* Alaska Airlines points on sale - handy to fly Qantas at a tasty discount.
Read More…
Qantas and Accor have announced a deeper partnership that will see mutual members of their loyalty programs being able to double-dip for
rewards points in the APAC region.
The newly minted crossover feature is scheduled to launch mid-2021.
While similar to other crossover programs (eg Marriott and both Emirates and United; Shangri-La and Singapore Airlines; Hyatt and American
Airlines), it will be the first partnership of its kind between an airline and hospitality group in the Asia Pacific region.
Will it be an attractive feature? Read on for our thoughts.
Congratulations to QANTAS. Today is the centenary of its launch!
Originally the Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service, it was born as an idea around Winton in Queensland and later moved to
Longreach, although the company was originally registered in Brisbane.
It has grown and evolved to become Australia's iconic international airline, with its headquarters now located in Mascot, near Sydney
Airport.
QANTAS is a member of the OneWorld alliance, which it co-founded in 1998 with American Airlines, British Airways, Canadian Airlines and
Cathay Pacific.
Congratulations to the management and all staff of QANTAS. To survive so long and be a leader in such a competitive industry is an
achievement earned by many folk from the tarmac upwards.
Best wishes for many more and hopefully less tumultuous ones than 2020 which has been overshadowed by the covid-19 crisis and its impact on our world.
To learn more about Qantas' history, you can watch its official video.
2020 Freddie Awards winners - One airline swept the field in its category and one hotel chain that dominated in Europe and APAC is now
gaining recognition in the Americas.
Read More…
Surprise! Alaska is re-defining its relationship with American Airlines and joining OneWorld. What could this mean for members of the
excellent Alaska Mileage Program?
Read More…
Virgin Atlantic & Air France merger shelved | Alaskan Airlines miles on sale | Airline Ratings names its Best Airlines for 2020 | Aegean
devalues Miles+Bonus program
Read More…
Latest news & views:
* Virgin Atlantic merger with Air France/KLM called off
* Alaska Airlines points on sale - handy for flying Qantas on selected routes at a very tasty discount.
* Air New Zealnad named best airline
Read More…
In a hit to Virgin Australia's loyalty members, Velocity Frequent Flyer has announced it will be raising its carrier charges on rewards seat
redemptions, only a year after introducing the charges.
Read More…
