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Latest news about airlines & their loyalty programs

Qatar Airways Holidays launch fan packages for the Formula 1

Qatar Airways Holidays launch fan packages for the Formula 1






Qatar Airways, the Global Partner and Official Airline of F1, in partnership with Qatar Airways Holidays, announced on 19 February the launch of its fan packages for the upcoming FIA Formula One World Championship.

The packages allow fans travelling from more than 40 countries to be up-close to high-octane action and enjoy unique experiences. 

From the beginning to end of their journey, the packages are designed for fans to enjoy a seamless motorsport extravaganza, with the inclusion of return flights, hotel accommodation, F1 Paddock Club or Grandstand race tickets, and return airport transfers for all global races (excluding Qatar). Packages are available for purchase at: qatarairways.com/f1

Similar to the inaugural packages, this year’s fan packages include an array of flexible and competitively priced options for select F1® 2024 race destinations. 

This year, fans are also encouraged to experience guided track tours, pit lane walks and more with the F1® Paddock Club™ packages, featuring savings of up to 20 per cent on global race packages.

One of the best spots to watch the action, offering world-class cuisine and free-flowing beverages, the Paddock Club™ is the pinnacle of F1® hospitality.


Qatar Airways Privilege Club members

In addition, Qatar Airways Privilege Club members can collect Avios and Qpoints on all fan packages, accumulating rewards to use towards future travel and experiences while helping them retain and quickly reach their next tier.

Members can also purchase their package using Cash + Avios. 

Alternatively, members can bid for the packages using Avios.
How will the Formula 1 deals work?

Packages have been secured for the following races:
  • Melbourne Grand Prix, 24th March (now open for bidding)
  • Miami Grand Prix, 5th May
  • Monaco Grand Prix, 26th May
  • British Grand Prix, 7th July
  • Las Vegas Grand Prix, 24th November
  • Qatar Grand Prix, 1st December

The Privilege Club Collection website is only open for bidding on the Melbourne Grand Prix at the moment, so we don’t know exactly what will be available for each race.

However, each package will include two Paddock Club™ VIP passes and hotel accommodation for the entire race period, usually three days. Paddock Club is the highest level of hospitality available and includes track tours and pit lane walks.
How can you bid for Privilege Club experiences?


Privilege Club Collection will eventually have a mix of ‘buy it now’ and auction experiences, although everything currently listed is for auction.

Here are two very important points to note:

(1)  You must have Avios in a Qatar Airways Privilege Club account before you can bid. It is NOT good enough to have Avios in say a British Airways Executive Club account which is linked to your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account. You must have physically moved Avios across to your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account.

(One snag here is that you can’t use the entire balance of a British Airways Executive Club household account to bid. The only Avios you can move into a Qatar Airways Privilege Club account are those in your own personal account. If you have 200,000 Avios and your partner has 50,000 Avios to give you a household balance of 150,000 Avios, the most you could use to bid for a single Privilege Club Collection auction is 200,000 – ie your own balance.)

(2)  You must have enough Avios in your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account to match your maximum bid. You cannot bid more than your current Avios balance, and you cannot set a future auto-bid which is higher than your balance. Transfers are free, instant and can be reversed at any time.

Virgin Australia adds 17 regional domestic routes

Virgin Australia adds 17 regional domestic routes

A new agreement with Link Airways will see Virgin Australia grow its regional footprint by 45 per cent - 90 new flights on 17 domestic routes



The partnership will benefit Velocity Frequent Flyer’s nearly 12 million members, allowing them to earn Points and Status Credits on Link Airways-operated codeshare flights by Virgin Australia. Platinum, Gold and Silver members will earn bonus Points and extra baggage allowance, while eligible members can also access Virgin lounges. 

Thanks to the new arrangement, Virgin Australia flyers can now book travel to 42 Australian destinations, including Inverell, Wollongong and Biloela, with through check-in and baggage transfer, a first for these locations.

"...the partnership is set to support regional trade and tourism in destinations like Inverell, Wollongong and Biloela, which are not currently serviced by any other major airline" stated Virgin Australia Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer, Alistair Hartley

“....Together, our networks will be operating up to 365 daily flights across Australia, offering 42 domestic destinations for guests to explore, all while ensuring guests can enjoy seamless connectivity and loyalty benefits under our award-winning Velocity Frequent Flyer program when they travel.” 

New regional routes available as Virgin Australia codeshare: 
  • Brisbane <> Coffs Harbour (BNE-CFS)
  • Brisbane <> Bundaberg (BNE-BDB)
  • Brisbane <> Biloela (BNE-ZBL)
  • Brisbane <> Inverell (BNE-IVR)
  • Brisbane <> Narrabri (BNE-NAA)
  • Brisbane <> Dubbo (BNE-DBO)
  • Brisbane <> Orange (BNE-OAG)
  • Brisbane <> Tamworth (BNE-TMW)
  • Brisbane <> Armidale (BNE-ARM)
  • Brisbane <> Wollongong (BNE-WOL)
  • Sydney <> Narrabri (SYD-NAA)
  • Sydney <> Inverell (BNE-IVR)
  • Melbourne <> Dubbo (MEL-DBO)
  • Melbourne <> Orange (MEL-OAG)
  • Melbourne <> Wollongong (MEL-WOL)
  • Canberra <> Hobart (CBR-HBA)
  • Canberra <> Newcastle (CBR-NTL).



The Melbourne-Sydney route is the 5th busiest in the world, according to data from OAG. 

There were 9,342,312 two-way trips completed on the MEL-SYD route, during 2023.  This was a reduction by 6% from 2022 numbers.

The busiest route globally is once again between Seoul’s Gimpo Airport (GMP) and Jeju (CJU) off the coast of the Korean Peninsula.
The second- and third-busiest routes are both Japanese domestic flights, with Hokkaido’s Chitose Airport (CTS)-Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND) taking second on 11.9 million seats, followed by Fukuoka (FUK)-Tokyo Haneda with 11.3 million seats.
Hanoi (HAN) to Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) is the fourth-busiest route globally with 10.9 million seats.

There were no international routes in the top 10.

For the international routes, 9 of the top 10 busiest routes were lin Asia. The only route in the top 10 international routes not to involve an origin or destination in the Asia-Pacific or Middle East regions was between New York John F. Kennedy International Airport and London Heathrow Airport (JFK-LHR), which ranks as the eighth busiest.


Virgin Australia to open direct flights to Uluru

Virgin Australia to open direct flights to Uluru

In a boost to local tourism, Virgin Australia will be expanding its domestic network to include Uluru (sometimes referred to as Ayers Rock) with two new routes - Brisbane / Uluru & Melbourne / Uluru. 

First flights wlll commence 6 June 2024, with Virgin Australia (advertiser) bookings for MEL/AYQ and BNE/AYQ currently on sale from AUD 169 economy, one-way (T&C's apply).

The amount of Velocity points required is not yet known, but will be released later.

Direct flights from Melbourne and Brisbane are a great benefit for overseas tourists wishing to see this icon of Australia.

Major news - Alaska Airlines to acquire Hawaiian Airlines

Major news - Alaska Airlines to acquire Hawaiian Airlines

Alaska Airlines announced yesterday that it will acquire Hawaiian Airlines.  The surprise move, which is subject to regulatory approvals, would vault Alaska into international expansion with a fleet including long-haul widebody jets flying across the Pacific Ocean to destinations in Japan, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.  Honolulu will become a major hub for the combined airline.

Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci said in an interview. “We become a bigger competitor against the big four airlines, United, Delta, American and Southwest.”

The acquisition appears to be a good cultural fit, as Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are both known to have a deep commitment to caring for their employees, guests and communities.

The deal will also open up new opportunities for Alaska, through Hawaiian's membership of the Oneworld alliance.

More details are yet to be announced, but I would expect Alaska's loyalty program to remain intact, with that of Hawaiian being absorbed into it somehow.

This is exciting news for travellers located in east Asia and the Pacific regions

Qantas upgrading international routes

Qantas upgrading international routes

In an update to its international network, the flying kangaroo will introduce its B787 Dreamliner aircraft on the Sydney-Honolulu route for the first time. 

Replacing the current A330 used on the route, the upgauge will give passengers the broad choice of Economy, Premium Economy and Business cabins on the popular leisure route.

The announcement comes ahead of Qantas’ return to Shanghai this weekend after more than three years of ceased operations. 

Elsewhere, Qantas and Jetstar are preparing for several new and upgraded services over the next month as international demand continues to surge. Among these are: 

  • New routes from Brisbane including Qantas to Wellington and Honiara and Jetstar to Tokyo (Narita)
  • An increase between Sydney and New York (via Auckland) to four flights per week
  • An increase of Jetstar’s Brisbane-Auckland service to daily flights
  • An upgauge on QF’s Sydney-Bali flights, from a B737 to an A330
  • Increased frequencies on Melbourne-Hong Kong, Singapore, and Los Angeles route
  • Doubled frequencies to Tokyo, providing four daily Australia-Japan flights from November 26

Are you one of the many flyers disappointed by Delta's recent SkyMiles changes?  Maybe Alaska would be better for you.

Are you one of the many flyers disappointed by Delta's recent SkyMiles changes? Maybe Alaska would be better for you.

Fed up with the recent changes to Delta SkyMiles?

For a limited time, Alaska Airlines is offering a promo for any Delta elite who’d like to transfer their membership ( and tier status) to Alaska!

For more details click this link - Alaska Airlines: Status Match into Mileage Plan


Virgin Australia has launched an offer looking to attract Qantas Gold status (and higher) frequent flyers.

If you apply prior to 15 September, Virgin Australia's Velocity will match your Qantas FF status for 3 months. If you fly only once during that period, that status is extended for a further 12 months.

To apply, email info@velocityfrequentflyer.com with "Velocity Discover Gold trial offer" in the heading.

Perks of  Velocity Gold Status include complimentary Virgin Australia Lounge access, priority boarding, preferential seating, additional baggage allowances (not available when travelling on a Lite fare), and bonus Velocity Points and Status Credits when guests book and fly with Virgin Australia.

Gold Status with both of Australia's major carriers provides a lot of flexibility.  Qantas is a member of the OneWorld alliance and has a cooperative arrangement with Emirates Airlines.  Virgin isn't currently a member of any alliance, but has an eclectic collection of partners who are, so can readily find a partner to take you almost anywhere (with good perks).

Terms & Conditions apply...

Qantas/Emirates airlines collaberation authority extended for a further 5 years by regulator

Qantas/Emirates airlines collaberation authority extended for a further 5 years by regulator

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) this week re-authorised the collaboration between Qantas and Emirates Airlines.

In its determination, the ACCC said the conduct between the two parties has not materially changed since initial authorisation was granted in 2013 and that “The ACCC considers that the conduct would be likely to result in public benefits, in the form of: increased connectivity and convenience; facilitating capacity restoration and expansion; and, better frequent flyer program benefits. The ACCC also considers the conduct is likely to result in limited public benefits through stimulation of tourism and trade,” the determination reads. A little odd considering Qantas' lobbying against the granting of 3 additional slots to Qatar in mid-July resulted in the Federal Minister for Transport (with advice received from the ACCC) rejecting Qatar's application.. 

Qatar was looking to add 21 flights per week into hubs such as Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth from the Middle East. The Federal Government sought out the opinion of Qantas as part of Qatar Airways’ application process for bilateral air rights. Qantas opposed the bid on the grounds that it would cause Australian job losses, according to The Australian..  Qatar Airways’ application rejection came amid high international airfares, which some attribute to a lack of competition.

At the time of its submission, Qatar Airways’ CEO, was amongst those criticising Qantas’ influence here. He highlighted that his airline continued to operate flights throughout the pandemic, even when Qantas suspended all flights except government-subsidised repatriation flights and reduced its local labour force.

If true, then this latest decision will do nothing to increase competition on key Australian routes..  

There is a caveat to the approval, however. The ACCC said it is concerned that the coordination between the two carriers could harm competition in the market between Sydney and Christchurch, New Zealand, as Air New Zealand is the only other carrier operating the route. Because of this, Qantas and Emirates have been directed to “provide regular updates on passenger revenue and operating costs to enable us to monitor competition on this route over the next five years,” the ACCC said.
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This article originally appeared in The Guardian on 25 July 2023.  Excerpts are repeated here to help spread the warning to users of loyalty programs, like you our readers. For the complete article and links to related ones, you should read the original article (which has copyright owned by The Guardian).

The ACCC has issued an urgent warning to customers of some of Australia’s largest loyalty reward programs, including Qantas Frequent Flyer, after detecting a new scam that targets valuable points. The National Anti-Scam Centre has received 209 reports to Scamwatch in the past four months, of the scam targeting Qantas frequent flyer, Telstra and Coles loyalty programs customers.

Australians lost a record amount of more than $3.1bn to scams in 2022, up from the $2bn lost in 2021, according to ACCC figures. New data from Commbank released on Tuesday showed Australians are becoming more cautious of answering the phone because of the increase, with three in four (76%) people only picking up if they recognise the number.

With the new scam, consumers receive a text message or email stating their loyalty points are expiring. It includes a link to a fake website, which prompts customers to log in. Customers may also be prompted to provide credit card details to use loyalty points. Scammers then steal customers’ points, their login details and personal information to use on other platforms and commit identity fraud.

The vast majority of reports to Scamwatch received so far are in relation to Qantas frequent flyer, Telstra and Coles loyalty programs, but Australians should be aware that any loyalty program could be targeted, ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said.The National Anti-Scam Centre has contacted the companies that have been impersonated by scammers and is working with web host providers to have the fake websites taken down, to minimise harm to the community,”

Lowe said. “We are very concerned that Australians experiencing cost-of-living pressures may be more susceptible to these scams. Scammers are deliberately panicking consumers by claiming their points are expiring soon. We urge people to immediately delete or ignore any message regarding a loyalty program that contains a link.

We advise our readers to be vigilant and if receiving any such emails or texts, to not use those links, but instead go directly to their loyalty program website and check there. There are details on the official sites that provide contact details should you need to speak to anyone.

Further details on the ACCC report can be found....

Turkish Airlines debut in Australia still in a holding pattern

Turkish Airlines debut in Australia still in a holding pattern

Expectations of an announcement last week fell flat, however the Star Alliance carrier says it aims to reach Australia soon. Turkish Airlines could land in Australia as soon as December, but with a catch...

Turkish Airlines says it is in advanced negotiations with both Sydney and Melbourne as it aims to introduce flights to Australia, with ambitions of touching down at either airport for the first time potentially before the end of 2023.

If and when Turkish Airlines does commence operations down under, it would be the only mainland European carrier to fly to Australia. 
Australians are also no stranger to Turkish Airlines, with the carrier welcoming nearly 119,000 Aussies on board in 2022 through various codeshare agreements it holds with other airlines

The airline is currently working through some legal loopholes before being able to add either city to its expansive network of nearly 130 destinations worldwide, however Turkish Airlines Chairman Dr Ahmet Bolat recently said in an interview that he was hoping for a final decision by next month.

But there appear to be two main (related) catches:

1. Lack of aircraft capable of non-stop flights

While Turkish Airlines has maintained an office in Sydney for some 35 years, another major problem standing in the way is the lack of an aircraft capable of making the non-stop journey from Istanbul to either Sydney or Melbourne.

At a flying time of at least 17 hours non-stop, the airline is banking on a future order of up to 15 Airbus A350-1000XLR or Boeing 777X as being the missing link, however neither aircraft are expected to be ready until near the end of this decade.

For now, flights to either Sydney or Melbourne could become a reality on its ready-made fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners, with a refuelling stop in Singapore in both directions.

“Our main goal is to fly directly to both Sydney and Melbourne every day, with the production of a new generation of ultra-long-range aircraft,” Bolat said.

2. The need to be able to sell tickets for the link between Singapore and Australia

For now, the airline requires ‘fifth freedom’ rights to sell tickets on the sector between Singapore and both Sydney and Melbourne for Australian flights to make economic sense.  This would enable it to pick up and drop off passengers in Singapore.

Turkish Airlines operates the world’s largest network and currently holds rights to land in Australia up to four times per week under an existing air rights agreement with Australia, however Bolat has ambitions of eventually offering daily flights to both Sydney and Melbourne.

“We are eager to add Australia to our network and connect Australian people to the world with our award-winning service quality.”, Bolat said.


Turkish Airlines has won several Skytrax World Airline awards, including Best European Airline 2023 and best in both Economy and Business cabins specifically.
Miles&Smiles, its loyalty program alst has some very attractive features.

Virgin Australia & ANA expand their alliance, boosting Japan access

Virgin Australia & ANA expand their alliance, boosting Japan access

Travellers can now access more of Japan on a single booking through the wider tie-up that includes 12 cities within Japan and others around the world. 

The boosted tie-up  allows customers to book airfares on ANA-operated flights between Australia and Japan on VA’s website for the first time.  .
When flying ANA, Velocity Frequent Flyer (VFF) members can earn points and status credits across over 130 destinations in the ANA network, including 12 domestic links in Japan (such as Sapporo, Fukuoka, Hiroshima, Osaka-Kansai, Nagasaki, and Okinawa), and connections to Asia, North America and Europe.

Earning points
Through the partnership, Silver, Gold and Platinum members flying on ANA planes with VA flight numbers will earn points on miles on top of base points, accruing 50 per cent, 75 per cent and 100 per cent bonus points respectively.  Gold and Platinum members on ANA flights will receive priority check-in, priority baggage and an extra checked baggage allowance among other benefits.  Meanwhile, to mark the launch, Velocity members will earn 20 per cent bonus points on eligible ANA-operated Sydney-Tokyo flights for travel between 18 July and 31 December 2023. The member must activate this offer by 1 August 2023 to qualify for this offer.  As part of the launch of the partnership expansion, Velocity is offering a 20% mileage bonus on ANA flights between Tokyo and Sydney through December 31, 2023, if they register for this offer by August 1. You can access this offer on Virgin Australia’s website here and ANA’s page for partner airlines here, where the offer's T&C's are listed.

Conclusion
ANA is Virgin Australia’s fifth Star Alliance partner and Virgin Atlantic, also a VA partner, recently joined SkyTeam. Virgin Australia used to be Delta’s Australian partner but switched to United Airlines (a Star Alliance member) instead. While some may wish for Virgin Australia to settle on joining one of the alliances (except perhaps OneWorld of which Qantas is  founding member), but having a diverse set of partners provides VFF members the ability to access to a wide range of partners within both Star Alliance and SkyTeam networks.


Presented in a gala ceremony held in the iconic Air and Space Museum at the Paris Air Show, the Skytrax World Airline Awards are tabulated from more than 20 million surveys submitted by travellers from 100 countries, who rated 325 different airlines between September 2022 and May 2023.


World’s Best Airline

Singapore Airlines
claimed the prestigious title of World’s Best Airline in the 2023 Skytrax World Airline Awards, marking the fifth time the fifth time in the 23 year history of the awards.the carrier has taken out the prestigious accolade.

The seven times winner of the prestigious Airline of the Year award, Qatar Airways, was ranked No 2 in the world for 2023, with ANA All Nippon Airways in third place, Emirates fourth, and Japan Airlines in fifth position, out of more than 325 airlines included in the survey results.

A new award was introduced in 2023, for the World’s Most Family Friendly Airline, this being won by Air Canada. This award includes family seating policies, dedicated family check-in facilities, priority boarding, children’s meals, children’s amenities / toys / activity packs, child specific onboard entertainment, free checked luggage and policies for carrycot / pushchairs, and the standard of service assistance from ground staff and cabin crew during the travel experience.


Big Winners

Notably, multiple award winners included Qatar Airways who scooped nine award wins, with Singapore Airlines also receiving nine awards. In North America, Delta Air Lines was the success in North America, winning six awards. In Europe, Turkish Airlines was dominant, receiving four awards including the highly competitive Best Airline in Europe title.

Qatar Airways continued its domination in business class, winning the awards for World’s Best Business Class, the World’s Best Business Class Seat, the World’s Best Business Class Lounge (the Al Mourjan lounge at Hamad International Airport), the World’s Best Business Class Lounge Dining and the Best Airline in the Middle East.

Singapore Airlines dominated the First Class travel awards, winning the awards for the World’s Best First Class, the World’s Best First Class Seat, the World’s Best First Class Comfort Amenities and took top position as the Best Airline in Asia.

ANA All Nippon Airways claimed third place in the global ranking, and repeats its earlier successes by winning awards for the World’s Best Airport Services and the World’s Cleanest Airline.

Kuwait Airways wins the 2023 award as the World’s Most Improved Airline, ahead of StarLux in 2nd place and PLAY in 3rd position. This is award reflects an airline’s Quality improvement across the entire Awards programme, evaluating an airline’s change in the global rating, and their performance in different award categories.

Cathay Pacific had a notable achievement for 2023 as they were judged as providing the World’s Best Inflight Entertainment for the very first time.

EVA Air won the award for the World’s Best Premium Economy Class (the travel cabin that EVA invented more than 30 years ago). EVA Air also won the award for the Best Premium Economy Class Catering.

Japan Airlines ranks No 1 in Economy Class, winning the award for the World’s Best Economy Class as well as the award for the World’s Best Economy Class Seat.

Fiji Airways secured the Best Airline in Australia / Pacific for the first time, and in a double success also won the award as the Best Airline Staff Service in Australia / Pacific for the third time.

In the India / South Asia region, Vistara reigns supreme and was again named winner of the Best Airline in India / South Asia award, in addition to Best Airline Staff Service for the region.

In North America, Delta Air Lines was the Best Airline in North America, in addition to Best Airline Staff Service for the region. Sun Country Airlines wins the Best Low-Cost Airline in North America title for the first time.

Alaska Airlines was the Best Regional Airline in North America in this very competitive market. Air Transat were another big winner from North America after being named as the World’s Best Leisure Airline – an award the Canadian airline has won on four previous occasions.


For a full list of the awards and winners, you can ...

Delta unveils innovative prototype wheelchair securement/seating

Delta unveils innovative prototype wheelchair securement/seating

Buckle up and prepare for some big news!

A major global airline has invested big bucks (not just lip-service) in bringing a wheelchair securement space to life.

Delta Flight Products, a subsidiary of Delta Air Lines that was “established to re-think aircraft interiors” has announced its backing of the Air4All wheelchair securement system on commercial jets — the company unveiling its design prototype at the Aircraft Interiors Expo 2023 in Hamburg, Germany.

Air 4 All works in a similar way to latch-type locking and securement systems used by many wheelchair users in their own vehicles. When a wheelchair user is flying, the seat folds up to reveal the securement space and attachments. If no wheelchair users require access, the seats function as regular airline seats.

The design has the added benefit of enabling airlines to retain the design of their cabin on every seat, ensuring a cohesive brand experience for all passengers. Air 4 All will facilitate a smoother boarding and disembarking experience and will also significantly reduce the number of wheelchairs that are damaged through poor handling.”

John Morris of wheelchairtravel.org tried out the seat design that has a securement system that can accommodate a wide range of both powered and manual wheelchairs. He felt that critical reporting on this product, its advancements, features and opportunities for improvement should come from within the disability community.

John says, “Are you ready to have your mind blown? I tested out the wheelchair securement space unveiled today by Delta Flight Products — it's nothing short of amazing, and I'm more confident than ever that we'll see a wheelchair space on airplanes not only in my lifetime, but soon! “ You can read and watch his demonstration here: https://wheelchairtravel.org/first-look-air4all-airplane.

Imagine the number of people whose travelling will be made soooo much more enjoyable once this becomes available from airlines.

Kudos to Delta !

Link your Qatar Airlines and Accor ALL accounts before June 10 - receive bonus points for both

Link your Qatar Airlines and Accor ALL accounts before June 10 - receive bonus points for both


In September 2022, Accor Hotels improved its partnership with Qatar Airways. Since then, members have been able to double dip on Accor hotel stays and Qatar Airways flights. To do this, you need to link your ALL account with your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account. You can do that with Accor Hotels or Qatar Airways.

Even better, if you haven't already done this, members now can earn a bonus through June 10, 2023 just for linking their accounts.

If you already took advantage of the ALL and Flying Blue partnership or the ALL and Qantas partnership, you'll need to choose which airline you want to double dip with. You can link your ALL account to just one airline at a time. If you linked your ALL account to Flying Blue or Qantas in the past 12 months, you need to wait until the end of 12 months before you can link to Qatar Airways.

This promotion is available to members who have not linked their ALL and Qatar accounts before May 10, 2023. If that is you, link your ALL and Qatar Airways accounts before June 10, 2023. After doing so, complete an eligible stay and/or flight before August 31, 2023 to earn bonus points and Avios. Members will receive 500 bonus ALL Reward points on the stay and 1,000 bonus Avios on the flight.

Terms & Conditions
  • Members must link accounts for the first time between May 10 and June 10, 2023 (at 11:59pm Arabia Standard Time, GMT+3) before booking a stay or flight.
  • Book the stay or flight before June 10 and complete it before August 31, 2023.
  • Accor stays must be booked directly with Accor.
  • Qatar Airways flights can be booked through any channel.
  • Members can only claim this promotion once.
  • Make sure to provide the applicable membership number at the time of booking.
  • After completing an eligible stay, bonus points will credit to the member's account within six weeks. Regular points from the stay will credit within seven days, and Avios will credit within 10 days.
  • After completing an eligible flight, bonus Avios will credit to the member's account within six weeks. Regular Avios will credit within 24 hours, and ALL Reward points will credit within 10 days.
  • This promotion stacks with other Accor or Qatar Airways promotions.
  • Stays at onefinestay are not eligible for this offer.
  • Stays and flights that are partially or wholly purchased with loyalty points are ineligible.
You can link your accounts either through Accor Hotels or Qatar Airways.

Fast Track to Elite Status


The Accor and Qatar partnership includes a fast track to elite status in both rewards programs. Accor elite status members will earn Qatar Airways Privilege Club elite status after their first qualifying flight:
  • ALL Gold status members will receive Privilege Club Silver status.
  • ALL Platinum status members will receive Privilege Club Gold status.
  • ALL Diamond status members will receive Privilege Club Platinum status.
Conversely, those with Privilege Club elite status can earn ALL elite status after the first qualifying hotel stay:
  • Privilege Club Gold status members will receive ALL Silver status.
  • Privilege Club Platinum status members will receive ALL Gold status.
The Fast Track offers are available only once per person. Your complimentary ALL elite status will last until the end of the following calendar year. To maximize this, try to get your status as close to the beginning of the year as possible. Complimentary Privilege Club elite status will last for 12 months from the date it's received.


This is a great partnership, especially for Australians, offering better value than the Accor-Qantas partnership, combining the same access to OneWorld partners with the wide range of Accor properties and perks available in APAC..



Points and miles enthusiasts now have a new tool at their disposal to help find the best price on hotels around the world.

Combining real-time data Awayz claims 99% accurate price comparison from all sources for:
* hotel room pricing,
* points balances,
* award availability (up to 12 months) and
* credit card benefits.

After trialling it ourselves, we believe this is one travel subscription you must have. It will enhance your points and miles experience and save you $$$.

Virgin Australia's "Low fare, more air" sale ends April 3

Virgin Australia's "Low fare, more air" sale ends April 3

Virgin Australia today launched a new promotion - its Low fare, more air sale.   (advertiser)

Get up to 30% off fares to 35 local and international destinations, including (one-way) Melbourne to Gold coast from AUD 99, or Melbourne to Hamilton Island from AUD 139.  

Return flights
are available from Melbourne to Bali from AUD 589 or  Melbourne to Fiji from AUD 559.

But be quick!   These prices only last until midnight (AEST) on April 3rd.  Other T&C's also apply.


Qantas unlocks thousands of seats to book with Frequent Flyer points

Qantas unlocks thousands of seats to book with Frequent Flyer points

Following the recently announced "million seat sale", Qantas is now releasing a huge amount of Classic Rewards space.

Qantas award availability has been notoriously hard to find, but Qantas is working on changing that perception. The Australian airline has announced the release of thousands of Classic Flight Reward seats starting Friday, February 24, 2023, at 11:00 am. Sydney time and and will include space in economy, business, and first class.

The release timing translates to:

  • London 12:00 (midnight) Friday, February 24, 2023 — as Sydney is 11 hours ahead of GMT.
  • New York: Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 7:00 pm — as Sydney is 16 hours ahead of NYC.
  • Los Angeles: Thursday, February 23, 2023, at 4:00 pm — as Sydney is 19 hours ahead of LA.

According to the Qantas press release, the award availability will be across its entire international network featuring over 30 destinations. Also, Qantas is including all cabin classes in this award drop — including Classic Flight Rewards dropping in economy, business class, and first class.

Using Your Qantas Points

A quick glance at the Qantas Classic Flight Reward Chart makes it clear that longer awards in premium cabins are a little on the steep side. However, they are still a much better deal than the other, more expensive awards. Qantas prices its awards based on distance and which airline you are flying. 

Conclusion

Qantas Classic Rewards are the best way for Qantas members to maximize the value of their points. So, this is a great opportunity if you have some upcoming travel plans involving taking a Qantas flight. Remember that although Qantas is releasing all this award space, it is unclear if any of it will be making its way to Qantas’ Oneworld partners. So, if you see an award itinerary that works for you, you should strike while the iron is hot and have Qantas points at the ready.so you can quickly snap it up.

Qantas and Jetstar - New One Million (!) Seat Sale

Qantas and Jetstar - New One Million (!) Seat Sale

Qantas and Jetstar have launched a one million seat sale with one-way fares available from A$39 on Jetstar and A$99 on Qantas.

Business class fares are available from A$499 on Qantas.

Between Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar, the sales span more than 170 routes around Australia including capital cities and regional towns. Jetstar is also offering sale fares on more than 20 international routes, with fares starting from A$175 one-way.

“We’re seeing really strong demand as Australians continue to put travel at the top of their shopping list. We’ve been adding new routes to help meet that demand, especially to leisure destinations, and we’ve put a lot of sales into the market,” said Mr Joyce when launching this sale.

“This is the ninth network-wide sale from Qantas and Jetstar in the past six months and we have more planned,” added Mr Joyce.

This week, Qantas added tens of thousands of additional international reward seats – flights that can be booked for as few as 8,000 Qantas points – for its Frequent Flyers through December 31, 2023.

The airlines are encouraging customers with COVID credits – travel credit left over from the pandemic – to use them in booking their sale fares. COVID credits received during the pandemic expire at the end of 2023, with customers needing to book and travel before then. A dedicated hotline has been established to assist customers using their travel credit. Customers can call the Travel Credit Concierge Team on 1300 171 505 or visit the Travel Credits Hub online.

Virgin Atlantic is part of SkyTeam effective 2 March 2023

Virgin Atlantic is part of SkyTeam effective 2 March 2023

Virgin Atlantic announced at a press conference in London on Tuesday, September 27, 2022, that the airline would join the SkyTeam airline alliance. 

Now we have a bit more concrete timing. From March 2, 2023, London-based carrier Virgin Atlantic (VS) will become SkyTeam’s only U.K.-based airline. This is huge news for both U.K. and U.S. travelers, as routes between the 2 countries are the bulk of Virgin’s route network. Specifically, VS operates nonstop routes to the U.K. from Austin (AUS), Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Las Vegas (LAS), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), Orlando (MCO), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), Tampa (TPA), and Washington, D.C. (IAD).

As Virgin already has close ties with key airline members of SkyTeam such as Air France/KLM and Delta Air Lines, joining SkyTeam is a natural progression.

What We Know So Far About Virgin Atlantic Joining SkyTeam

Here is what we know so far:
  • Virgin Atlantic will be admitted as a member from 2 March, 2023.
  • Flying Club members will be able to earn and burn points with all alliance members. However, no rates have been announced.
In terms of elite status levels:
  • Virgin Atlantic Silver will equate to SkyTeam Elite status.
  • Virgin Atlantic Gold will get SkyTeam Elite Plus perks.

Elite members will receive the usual raft of benefits associated with status. These include priority check-in, baggage handling, lounge access, and more.

For more info see Virgin Atlantic FAQ on joining SkyTeam and SkyTeam's Statement on Virgin Atlantic becoming an alliance member.


Reciprocal Benefits
When Virgin Atlantic joins the alliance, frequent flyers will be able to spend and redeem their miles with up to an additional 15 airlines.

Perhaps even more exciting is that once Virgin joins the alliance, Flying Club elite status holders will receive SkyTeam Elite status, opening up reciprocal benefits with the other SkyTeam member airlines — and vice versa.

Virgin Silver members will receive SkyTeam Elite benefits, which include:

  • Priority reservation wait list
  • Preferred seating
  • Priority check-in counters
  • Priority or “at leisure” boarding
  • Extra baggage allowance

However, it’s Virgin Gold members who will benefit from the full perks of the SkyTeam alliance. They’ll receive automatic Elite Plus benefits, which include:
  • Guaranteed full-fare economy class (Y class) bookings on sold-out long-haul flights at least 24 hours before departure
  • Worldwide access to lounges for the traveller and a guest, no matter the class of travel
  • Priority baggage
  • Extra baggage allowance.

Who may benefit the most?

Virgin will soon be joining Aerolineas Argentinas, AeroMexico, Air Europa, Air France, China Airlines, China Eastern, Czech Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Garuda Indonesia, ITA Airways, Kenya Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Middle East Airlines, Saudia, TAROM, Vietnam Airlines, and Xiamen Airlines as part of the SkyTeam Alliance.

This development is most exciting for Virgin frequent flyers with Silver or Gold status who, until March 2, 2023, only have had some of the benefits of their status reciprocated with Air France/KLM and Delta.

For those travelers who already have SkyTeam status through another carrier, they will also benefit from the benefits of Virgin’s Flying Club. However, it's currently rumored that elites from other SkyTeam airlines won’t get access Virgin’s exclusive London Heathrow Clubhouse.


Potential Downsides - Will Sweet Spots Be Eliminated?

While it is great news for Virgin to join SkyTeam. Some Flying Club members will be concerned about what will happen to some of the best Flying Club redemption sweet spots. Currently, you can use your Virgin points for many excellent awards, including:
  1. ANA first class from Japan to Europe or Central/Eastern US for 60,000 Virgin points each way plus taxes and fees.
  2. Air New Zealand business class awards from New Zealand to either North or South America for 125,000 Virgin points round-trip plus taxes and fees.
Unfortunately, both Air New Zealand and ANA are members of Star Alliance. This puts them in direct competition with many of Virgin Atlantic’s new (SkyTeam) alliance partners. Will these great deals remain, or is the time up for these excellent redemption options? Only time will tell.


We can only hope that Virgin Atlantic joining SkyTeam leads to new excellent redemption opportunities within the alliance.

Bonza sale !  Australia's new carrier has fares starting from $49

Bonza sale ! Australia's new carrier has fares starting from $49

After much fanfare around its arrival, Australian low-cost carrier Bonza is finally open for business. 



Twelve destinations on 15 routes are on sale for travel until late October 2023, with fares starting from just $49 one way.  

The carrier’s first flight will take place on Tuesday, 31 January, from the airline’s Sunshine Coast home base to the Whitsunday Coast.

Bonza says flights from its second base at Melbourne Airport should go on sale in the next few weeks. 


Among the routes to go on sale from today are Sunshine Coast to Coffs Harbour ($49), Newcastle ($59), Albury ($69), Avalon ($79), Whitsunday Coast ($59) and Cairns ($79).

Flights from Cairns to Mackay ($49) and Rockhampton ($59), Rockhampton to Townsville ($49) and Newcastle to Whitsunday Coast ($79) are also on sale from today.

“The wait is over! 2023 is the Year for Australia, with low cost air travel to many holiday spots, some of which are relatively undiscovered. It’s time to see more of your own backyard for less,” Bonza chief commercial officer Carly Povey said.

The airline’s promise



Bonza says that the flights on sale indicate “what’s here to stay” for the airline. 

“It’s important that Aussie travellers know we’re on sale, not having a sale. We’re committed to low cost fares which will in turn, stimulate new markets for Australia’s domestic tourism industry,” Povey added.

“We’re confident whenever customers choose to travel, all our fares and not just our starting fares will represent great value.”

Meanwhile, Sunshine Coast Airport CEO Andrew Brodie said Bonza’s launch into the Sunny Coast would be a massive boost to two-way tourism.

“The Sunshine Coast is a wonderful place to holiday and visit and now with Bonza, more people can experience our beautiful region,” Brodie remarked.

“Not only will people choose to holiday here, they will also use our airport to easily connect through to other regions making travel for our regional visitors a whole lot easier.”

Bonza Receives Certification To Commence Flying

Bonza Receives Certification To Commence Flying

Bonza, the startup Australian budget airline on January 12 received an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) after the carrier submitted final documents and successfully completed proving flights. 

The AOC is required before an airline is permitted to fly scheduled passenger-carrying flights in Australia..

The airline is now “finalising its preparations to go on sale” with the first flights to fly out of the Sunshine Coast followed by Melbourne.

Bonza was cryptic about the exact date tickets would go on sale, with chief executive Tim Jordan saying it would welcome people aboard “soon”. 

However, Bonza's initial 27 routes linking 17 destinations was also released.  The airline says 93 per cent of its routes are not currently served by any other airline and 96 per cent currently have no low cost carrier.

Australians who are looking to book a flight with Bonza are urged to download the airline’s app, which is the only way they will be able to book outside of a small group of local travel agents.

Bonvoy adds ability to convert Krisflyer Miles to Bonvoy Points

Bonvoy adds ability to convert Krisflyer Miles to Bonvoy Points

KrisFlyer have announced that you can now convert points and miles between both programs. While you have been able to convert your Marriott points to Singapore miles for a long time, the ability to transfer your Singapore miles to Marriott points is new.

The new two-way conversion ability is a new trend from Marriott and seems to be aimed at enhancing the value of their points and program. However, the conversion rates leave a lot to be desired.

You can currently convert points and miles between both programs as follows:

  • from Singapore KrisFlyer Miles to Marriott Bonvoy points at a ratio of 2:1.
  • from Marriott Bonvoy points to Singapore KrisFlyer miles at a ratio of 3:1.


This news is the second one in a short period of time after Marriott just recently announced new two-way transfers between its program and Korean Air SkyPass. Perhaps this will be a Marriott trend for 2023, but we will have to wait and see if more programs will follow.


Marriott Two-way Conversion Partners


The following programs now offer two-way conversion between themselves and Marriott Bonvoy.
Cathay Pacific Asia Miles 2:1
HawaiianMiles 2:1
Korean Air SkyPass 2:1
Singapore KrisFlyer 2:1
United Mileage Plus (Premier status members only) 1:1 


Is Transferring Marriott Points to Singapore KrisFlyer Miles Good Value?

In short  No.

Our redemption value for Singapore KrisFlyer miles is USD 24.90 per 1,000 miles. On the other hand, we value Marriott Bonvoy points at USD 10 per 1,000 points.

At a transfer ratio of 2:1, you would exchange around USD 49.80 worth of Singapore miles for USD 10 worth of Marriott Bonvoy points. This is a clearly not a good idea!

On the other hand, transfers from Marriott to Singapore at a ratio of 3:1can make more sense.   In effect, you would exchange around USD 30 worth of Marriott points value for USD 24.90 worth of Singapore miles value. Although this seems like a bit of a loss, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer offers some excellent award options that could make it worthwhile, especially for aspirational awards on Singapore Airlines' own planes.


When Should You Convert Singapore KrisFlyer Miles to Marriott Bonvoy Points ?

There are a couple of instances when converting your KrisFlyer miles to Marriott Bonvoy points can make sense.

 *  Singapore miles expire after 36 months, and you cannot extend their validity without paying a hefty fee. Therefore if you have a bunch of miles that are about to expire and don’t want to use them or hand over the cash, transferring them can be an excellent get-out.

*  Another option is if you are a few Marriott points short of a redemption and need to boost your balance. Although transferring a few thousand Singapore miles works out as a loss, it is still valuable if it lets you hit an aspirational award. Just make sure you exhaust your other options first, as you  also transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Marriott Bonvoy at a ratio of 1:1. There have been transfer bonus offers in the past, so you might be able to get an even better transfer rate during one of these promotions.

Overall

The news that you can convert Singapore KrisFlyer miles to Marriott Bonvoy points is a welcome. if minor enhancement. as it gives members more options to use their points. It's always nice to gain the flexibility to ytsmsfer your points from one program to another — even in circumstances mainly limited to the need to top up an account or avoid point expiration.


AirlineRatings.com, the world’s only airline safety, and product rating website, has announced its Top Safest Airlines 2023 from the 385 different airlines it monitors.

The top 13 ranked airlines are the who’s who of airlines and, in order, are:

Qantas, Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, Emirates, Alaska Airlines, EVA Air, Virgin Australia/Atlantic, Cathay Pacific Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, SAS.

According to AirlineRatings.com Editor-in-Chief Geoffrey Thomas, these airlines are standouts in the industry and are at the forefront of safety, innovation, and launching of new aircraft.

In selecting Qantas as the world’s safest airline for 2023, AirlineRatings.com editors noted that over its 100-year operational history the world’s oldest continuously operating airline has amassed an amazing record of firsts in operations and safety and is now accepted as the industry’s most experienced airline. 

According to Mr Thomas, the editors analyze: crashes over 5 years, serious incidents over two years, audits from aviation’s governing bodies and lead associations; fleet age, expert analysis of pilot training, and COVID protocols in making their determinations.

“However all airlines have incidents every day, and many are aircraft or engine manufacture issues, not airline operational problems. It is the way the flight crew handles these incidents that determines a good airline from an unsafe one,” Mr Thomas said.

“Our top 20 safest airlines 2022 are always at the forefront of safety innovation, operational excellence..."

The AirlineRatings top 20 safest low-cost airlines for 2022 are, in alphabetical order; Air Arabia, AirAsia GroupAllegiant, Air Baltic, easyjet, FlyDubai, Frontier, Jetstar Group, Jetblue, Indigo, Ryanair, Scoot, Southwest, Spicejet, Spirit, Vueling, Vietjet, Volaris, Westjet, and Wizz.

To see AirlineRatings Country and Airline Safety Comparison tool...

Qantas FF can now use points on Bangkok Airways

Qantas FF can now use points on Bangkok Airways

Qantas Frequent Flyers can now book Classic Flight Reward seats to more than 20 destinations across Thailand and South East Asia as a new partnership with Bangkok Airways was launched today. The partnership expands on a codeshare agreement that was introduced in 2014 allowing Qantas customers to book commercial seats on Bangkok Airways flights.

Travellers can access Bangkok Airways flights from Australia via Bangkok, Phuket and Singapore. The Qantas Group operates more than 50 return flights each week between these cities and Australia.

Bangkok Airways is a full-service carrier, with regular flights each day out of its hub in Bangkok to some of Asia’s most popular destinations, including Koh Samui and Chiang Mai in Thailand and Siem Reap in Cambodia.

Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said Qantas Frequent Flyer was excited to welcome Bangkok Airways to the program. “Thailand is one of the most popular destinations for our frequent flyers and this partnership will make it easier for them to explore more of the region using their points...The option to book reward seats on Bangkok Airways’ expansive network across Thailand and South East Asia will also open up thousands of new redemption opportunities."

The Bangkok Airways partnership follows recent initiatives from Qantas Frequent Flyer to expand members’ opportunities to use their points on flights including 100,000 Classic Flight Reward seats between Australia and Japan, and the extension of its commitment for 50 per cent more reward seats until June 2023.


Accor Hotels just launched another partnership, this time with Qatar Airways.

Similar to the Miles + Points partnership with KLM/Air France Flying Blue , Accor with Qantas and other crossover programs (eg Marriott and  Emirates; Shangri-La and Singapore Airlines; Hyatt and American Airlines), you can now double dip on Accor hotel stays and Qatar Airways flights. Here are the details of the partnership and now to earn both Reward points and Avios.

Accor and Qatar Crossover partnership

Accor Hotels and Qatar Airways have already had a partnership, but now this partnership is being improved. Now, members of either loyalty program can earn both ALL Reward points and Qatar Avios on either flight and hotel bookings.

First, you need to link your ALL account with your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account. You can link your accounts either via Accor Hotels or Qatar Airways.

If you already took advantage of the ALL and Flying Blue partnership, you'll need to choose which airline you want to double dip with. You can only linked your ALL account to one airline at a time. If you linked your ALL account to Flying Blue in the past 12 months, you will need to wait until the end of 12 months before you can link to Qatar Airways.

Double-dipping between Accor Hotels and Qatar Airways


After you link your Accor Live Limitless and Qatar Airways Privilege Club accounts, you will start earning both ALL Reward points and Avios on your stays and flights:

  • For every US$2 spent on Qatar Airways flights, you will earn 1 ALL Reward point,  in addition to the Avios you earn on the flight.
  • For every €1 spent at Accor properties, you will earn 1 Avios in your Qatar Airways Privilege Club account,  in addition to the regular ALL Reward points earned for your stay.
Make sure to provide your applicable account membership number at booking or check-in to receive points and Avios.

Once you have accrued your Avios and Reward points, you can transfer from one program to the other:
  • Convert 4,500 Avios into 1,000 Reward points.
  • Minimum conversion: 2,000 Reward points = 1,000 Avios.

T&C's apply, including:
  • Members who do not have a Privilege Club membership account before linking accounts will need to take an extra step. You will only earn Avios on hotel activities after performing an international activity. That can be your first stay outside of the country of residence in your ALL loyalty program account or after your first flight on Qatar Airways (all of which are international).
  • All domestic stays within 12 months before the first international activity and after the account linkage will be retroactively rewarded with Avios. Avios earned retroactively on stays in a given year will be credited no later than December 31 of that same year.
  • To remain eligible for the accrual of Avios on eligible stays, the members will have to perform an international activity at least every 12 months.

Fast-track to Elite Status

The Accor and Qatar partnership includes a fast track to elite status in both rewards programs. Accor elite status members will earn Qatar Airways Privilege Club elite status after their first qualifying flight:
  • ALL Gold status members will receive Privilege Club Silver status;
  • ALL Platinum status members will receive Privilege Club Gold status.; and
  • ALL Diamond status members will receive Privilege Club Platinum status.
Conversely, Privilege Club elite status members will earn ALL elite status after your first qualifying hotel stay:
  • Privilege Club Gold status members will receive ALL Silver status.
  • Privilege Club Platinum status members will receive ALL Gold status.

These Fast Track offers are only available once. Your complimentary ALL elite status will be good until the end of the following calendar year. So, you have the incentive to try to get your status as close to the beginning of the year as you can. Complimentary Privilege Club elite statuses will be good 12 months after being received.

What does this mean for you?


This is another great partnership from Accor. Double-dipping on points is always a nice benefit and reciprocal elite status levels are also great, especially when you can earn Oneworld Emerald status with your ALL Diamond status.

Avios earned can also be transferred/used for other Avios programs (BA, Iberia etc.), which may suit for say short-haul rewards flights. 

But the ability to accrue rewards with Qatar, consistently rated as one of the world's best airlines, is an outstanding attraction of this new double-dipping program. Depending upon your flying patterns and the alliance program your preferred airline belongs to (Qatar and Qantas are both OneWorld, Air France/KLM is SkyTeam), this may very well be the best double-dipping program.

To learn more about the Accor Live Limitless rewards program...

Bonza names its first Boeing 737

Bonza names its first Boeing 737

Bonza, the new Australian Low Cost Carrier, has announced the winning name for its first B-737.

A shortlist of the hundreds of suggestions was voted on by the Bonza Local Legends – the airline’s ambassadors.  The most popular name and one adopted by Bonza was "Shazza".  The second most popular name was "Bazza", which may be used for the second aircraft when it joins ist stablemate.

Shazza is currently having her interiors Bonza-ified including obligatory splashes of purple.  Bonza is aloso training in-flight and cabin crew, finalising the all-Aussie menu and stress testing the Fly Bonza App which will be the only place customers can book flights (with the exception of local travel agents).

An exciting time for Bonza.


Virgin Australia's domestic travellers will have an easier experience at security and access to an expanded range of food and beverage options with the opening of the redevelopment of Melbourne Airport’s Terminal 3.
 
The centrepiece of the upgrade is an indoor walkway linking the landside departures levels of Terminals 3 and 4, as well as the consolidation of security screening at an expanded central location in Terminal 4.
 
Virgin Australia travellers will now be screened using the latest smart security technology, which allows them to keep laptops, tablets and liquids in their bags, with an additional two lanes opened to increase processing capacity.
 
For the first time at Melbourne Airport the Virgin Australia lounge is located in the secure airside zone, meaning premium travellers will be able to enjoy the facilities right up until boarding time.

For more info, see the linked video from Virgin Australia...

Bonza Debut Flight Touches Down | Milestone Tick

Bonza Debut Flight Touches Down | Milestone Tick

Bonza’s first 737 MAX aircraft touched down at Sunshine Coast Airport yesterday morning marking a major milestone for Australia’s newest low-cost carrier. 

It is the first Boeing 737 MAX to be based in Australia and will be part of a fleet of aircraft based initially on the Sunshine Coast and in Melbourne.  Additional aircraft will follow and ultimately support Bonza’s growth plans beyond its initial bases. The airline is calling out to help name the plane by asking for comments on Bonza’s Instagram and Facebook pages with their nicknames.

The initial network is 17 destinations on 27 routes. Ninety-three per cent of the routes are currently not serviced by another airline (25 out of 27 routes) and 96 per cent are not currently served by a low-cost carrier.

Bonza says that flights are expected to start from around AU$50 for each hour a customer is in the air and eight kilograms of carry-on baggage will be included in the flight price.

To achieve their low-cost strategy, Australians are encouraged to download the Fly Bonza app which will be the only place to book directly. The airline’s ‘app first’ strategy means flights will not be available for purchase on third-party websites allowing Bonza to communicate directly with customers about their upcoming flights. In addition to booking and check-in, the Fly Bonza app is also where customers can order food and drink from the menu directly to their seats and enjoy the in-flight entertainment. 

Congratulations to all at the Bonza team!

Malaysia Airlines Doubling Its Daily Flights To Qatar Following High Demand

Malaysia Airlines Doubling Its Daily Flights To Qatar Following High Demand

Malaysia Airlines is adding a second daily service to Doha (DOH), saying the route it launched in May has high demand.

The carrier started a daily Airbus A330-300 Kuala Lumpur (KUL)-DOH route in late May, building on the expanded codeshare agreement inked with Qatar Airways earlier this year and covered on by us 18 July 2022. Both airlines are Oneworld members. 

Malaysia Airlines’ second daily frequency on the DOH-KUL route will commence from Aug. 10 and also be operated by an A330-300 aircraft.

The carriers said in a joint statement that their codeshare relationship gives passengers access to 96 destinations.   

“The arrival and departure times of the double daily Malaysia Airlines flights offer customers full access to Qatar Airways’ unrivaled network to the Middle East, Europe, Africa and the US via the world’s best airport, Hamad International Airport, while simultaneously building perfect connectivity to Malaysia Airlines’ network to states within Malaysia, as well as southeast Asia, north Asia and also to Australasia,” the airlines stated.


Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes are back! After returning from hiatus in spring 2022, Spontaneous Escapes are back again for another month.

These monthly promotions offer KrisFlyer award bookings with a discount of 30% on selected routes, meaning you need fewer miles to book than normal. Typically you must book by the end of the month, for flights the following month.

The latest list includes flights in August 2022, for which you need to book by July 31, 2022.

Some key points are that:

  • Bookings must be made at singaporeair.com as other channels won't reflect the discount.
  • The promotion is valid for economy, premium economy, and business-class redemptions.
  • Cash and miles+cash bookings are not eligible for discounts.
For example, one-way flights between Singapore and Australia's east coast (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane or Cairns) are only 21,350 Krisflyer miles.

So, act fast to grab these price-busting award bookings !           

Further T&C's apply. For more information...

AirlineRatings Announces 2022 World's Best Airlines Awards

AirlineRatings Announces 2022 World's Best Airlines Awards

The world’s Best Airlines for 2022 have been named by AirlineRatings.com, the world’s only safety, product, and COVID rating website, and the airline of the year is … Qatar Airways.

The Doha-based airline nudged out Air New Zealand, Etihad Airways and Korean Air for the top spot in AirlineRatings.com Best Airlines for 2022 followed by Singapore Airlines, Qantas and Virgin Australia. Taiwan’s EVA was rated 8th followed by Turkish Airlines in the 9th spot. Turkish Airlines is also named the Best Airline in Europe. In 10th position is Japan’s All Nippon Airlines.

Qatar Airways also took out Best Business Class. “The airline’s Qsuite is a first-class experience in business class and our judges rated it as the best overall business-class product they had seen,” said Mr Geoff Thomas of AirlineRatings.com.

As well as taking out number 2 position in the Top Twenty Airlines rankings, Air New Zealand won Best Airline in the Pacific, Best Premium Economy, and Best Economy.  The airline has just unveiled a major make-over and new products that will be introduced in 2024, so it should continue to rank highly in years to come.

Singapore Airlines won the prestigious Best First Class award for its unique Suites product and also Best Lounges. The six Suites in this stylish cabin at the front of the upper deck of the airline’s flagship Airbus A380s are designed to be the equivalent of small hotel rooms.

Virgin Australia won Best Cabin Crew and Emirates was awarded Best Inflight Entertainment (yet again).

Excellence in Long Haul travel was awarded to: jetBlue (Americas), Turkish Airlines (Europe), Qatar Airways (Middle-East/Africa), Korean Air (Asia) and Air New Zealand (Pacific).

Best Low-Cost Airlines are: Southwest (Americas), easyjet (Europe), Jetstar (Asia/Pacific) and Fly Dubai (Middle-East).


Our congratulations to all the winners !

Turkish Airlines Now Rated Among The Best For Safety

Turkish Airlines Now Rated Among The Best For Safety

Turkish Airlines’ incident record over the past five years has been outstanding and has resulted in the airline’s safety rating being lifted from five-star to the highest possible seven-stars by the global rating agency AirlineRatings.com.

" With Turkish Airlines, we found an extremely low incident rate and virtually none attributable to pilots...That performance and its COVID-19 compliance for passengers gained Turkish Airlines the top safety rating of seven stars,” said Geoffrey Thomas of AirlineRatings.

Under AirlineRatings' system, 159 of 357 (44.5%) of Airlines currently have the 7-star rating.

The airline also has a seven-star rating for its onboard products making it a seven-star rated airline for safety, product and COVID compliance.

Prior to COVID Turkish Airlines operated 374 aircraft to 331 destinations in 127 countries, including 52 domestic, and 13 in the United States and 11 in Germany.

Our congratulations to Turkish Airlines - top rating for all 3 areas tested (safety, product and COVID compliance) is a great achievement in protecting its passengers and staff.

Star Alliance First To Expand Network To Rail With New ‘Intermodal’ Partner

Star Alliance First To Expand Network To Rail With New ‘Intermodal’ Partner

Lufthansa (a Star Alliance member) customers are already able to buy a combined ticket for Deutsche Bahn (DB)  trains and Lufthansa flights in one booking step, including seat reservation.

Star Alliance, the world’s largest airline alliance with 26 member airlines has historically been specifically for airlines.  However, that’s changing.

In an industry first, starting 1 August 2022, all 25 other Star Alliance member airlines will be able to include DB’s ICE high-speed trains as flight numbers in their booking engines and customers will benefit from the following advantages:

  • In just one booking, airline customers will receive a combined ticket for the flight and train journeys, including seat reservations
  • Upon check-in, which is possible until soon before departure (not hours prior), travellers receive their boarding passes for both the flight and the train journeys.
  • Customers will benefit from priority baggage handling and other services in the AiRail check-in area in Frankfurt
  • For bookings of combined train & flight journeys via Lufthansa Express Rail, travelers can collect points or miles in their preferred Star Alliance program
  • First & business class Star Alliance airline passengers will receive additional benefits, such as access to Deutsche Bahn lounges.

The move makes German rail operator Deutsche Bahn the Star Alliance’s first intermodal, non-airline partner, and signals that airlines are looking to broaden the scope of their networks to include other modes of transport such as railway, bus, or ferry. Under the new partnership, DB customers and passengers of Star Alliance member airlines can start or end their journey by train. 

Star Alliance’s intermodal partnership model is designed to link loyalty systems and facilitate seamless airport / rail station / port transit.

While Germany is the first market where the alliance’s intermodal concept is being trialled, Star Alliance plans to expand its intermodal partnerships in the future.

The DB-Star Alliance partnership is expected to make a significant contribution to reducing CO
2 emissions in the transport sector, as well as boosting traveller convenience.
A welcome, positive move reflecting a more eco-conscious time.

Virgin Australia Updates Awards Tables for its Partners - From October 2022

Virgin Australia Updates Awards Tables for its Partners - From October 2022

Velocity is introducing changes to the Points required for Reward Seats on Etihad Airways, Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and South African Airways for tickets issued from 5 October 2022.

Velocity noted that the amount of Points required to redeem an Economy Class or Business Class Reward Seat will change for some routes. We looked more closely at the changes and found that:

  • Points required for travel in Premium Economy or First Class were unchanged;
  • Points required for trips of up to 2,400 miles (one way) are unchanged for all cabin categories;
  • Points required for trips of more than 4,800 miles (one way) are unchanged for all cabin categories;
  • For trips between 2,401 and 3,600 miles, the category has been split into 2,401 to 3,000 (requiring 3,000 fewer points than currently for Economy but 2,000 more for Business Class) and 3,001 to 3,600 (requiring 1,000 fewer points than currently for Economy but 4,000 more for Business Class);
  • For trips between 3,601 and 4,800 miles, the category has been split into 3,601 to 4,200 (requiring 6,000 fewer points than currently for Economy but 2,000 more for Business Class) and 4,201 to 4,800 (requiring 4,000 fewer points than currently for Economy but 6,000 more for Business Class).

So, no change for travellers booking Premium Economy or First Class, but for travellers flying in Economy, the changes will result in either the same or fewer points being required.
For Business Class travellers, the increases could be hefty – more than 14% for the new 3,001-3,600 category and more than 17% for the 4,201-4,800 mile category.

Impact on some popular routes:

Unchanged - PER-DPS, MEL-AUH, SYD-AUH

6,000 fewer points (saving 17.1%) for Economy but 2,000 (+5.7%) more for Business Class

*  MEL-SGP 3,765 miles

*  SYD-SGP 3,915 miles


3,000 fewer points (saving 10.7%) for Economy but 2,000 (+7.1%) more for Business Class.

*  PER-SGP 2,435 miles

*  LHR-AUH 2,982 miles

*  MEL-DPS 2,750 miles

*  SYD-DPS 2,875 miles

1,000 fewer points (saving 3.6%) for Economy but 4,000 (+14.3%) more for Business Class

*  MEL-KUL 3,405 miles

*  SYD-KUL 3,555 miles

Some observations:
  • for Australians vacationing in Bali, award redemptions will be the same or as much as 17% less for Economy, but Business Class will be 7% more from the east coast;
  • the amount of points required for flights between Abu Dhabi and Australia;
  • for flights between Abu Dhabi and London, flying Economy will be cheaper but Business Class will require more points than prior to October 2022;
  • flights between Australia and Singapore will be treated more kindly than flights between Australia and Malaysia.
Carrier Charges
A carrier charge for Reward Seats on Singapore Airlines will also be introduced for tickets issued from 5 October 2022. These charges are less than the carrier charges introduced for Etihad Airways.
Any voluntary changes (by travellers) to Reward Seats ticketed up to 4 October will, from 5 October 2022, require cancellation and refund (if applicable) of the original ticket. 

So make any changes you need to make prior to then because...
Any new Reward Seat ticketed from 5 October 2022 (including those from voluntary changes noted above) on the above mentioned airlines, will be according to the new Points redemption table.


The ability to transfer your Velocity Points and KrisFlyer miles between programs is due to restart on 19 July 2022!

If you are also a member of KrisFlyer, the loyalty program of Singapore Airlines, you can set up a link between your Velocity Account and KrisFlyer Account and convert Points and Miles between both programs. 

For every 1.55 KrisFlyer miles you transfer, you will earn 1 Velocity Point. A minimum transfer amount of 5,000 KrisFlyer miles is required. This is the same rate that applied just prior to the covid-19 crisis (but the minimum transfer has been reduced from 10,000 to 5,000 KrisFlyer miles).

Note that transfers cannot be reversed once made.

You will also be able to 
redeem Velocity Points for Reward Seats in Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class on the Singapore Airlines network (T&C's and exclusions will apply).

Great news for members of both programs, reopening opportunities that were available prior to February 2020.

It also provides an opiton for holders of larger KrisFlyer balances to "save" miles that are close to expiring, as KrisFlyer miles have a "hard" expiry of 3 years, whereas Velocity points do not expire as long as there is some activity every 2 years. Note that miles transferred cannot be transferred back again.

Air New Zealand set to relaunch 14 international routes

Air New Zealand set to relaunch 14 international routes

Air New Zealand is about to relaunch 14 international routes in 16 days and this will bring its international capacity up to 60% of pre-covid levels.

The Boeing 777-300ER aircraft will be back helping to ensure that from July 9, the airline will have three-quarters of its international and domestic routes back up and running with popular destinations like Honolulu, Houston and Tahiti restarting after around 820 days of not operating.

“We are seeing first-hand how keen people are to travel again, particularly across the Tasman. Come July, we will double our services across the Tasman and restart popular direct services like the Sunshine Coast, Hobart and Adelaide. By July 9 we will be back at all nine Australian ports which is an important milestone for us.” Air New Zealand Chief Executive Officer Greg Foran said.

Great news for travellers to Australia and its near neighbour.

Turkish Airlines Targets Nonstop Australia Flights

Turkish Airlines Targets Nonstop Australia Flights

Turkish Airlines is considering the launch of non-stop services to Australia using either Airbus A350-1000XWB or Boeing 777X aircraft. Australia is a whitespot in the carrier’s network of more than 300 destinations worldwide. The only other major exception is Greenland.

The airline already operates 777-300ERs, as well as A350-900s. However, Turkish Airlines may go for an additional version, such as the A350-1000XWB for the ultra-long-range services from Istanbul to Sydney and Melbourne.

“Australia is the last continent which Turkish Airlines is not flying to,” Turkish Airlines chairman Ahmet Bolat said at the 2022 IATA annual general meeting in Doha.

For Turkish Airlines, the nonstop flying time from Istanbul (IST) to Sydney (SYD) and Melbourne (MEL) would be approximately 17 hours. Services could start in 2026 or 2027.

In the meantime, until the ultra-long-range capacity is available, the Istanbul-based carrier already has codeshare connections to Australia. The airline is also looking for partnerships in Australia and is talking with nations like Malaysia or Indonesia for fifth freedom rights.

“If we would have that [fifth-freedom], then we could share the markets with the home carriers,” Mr Bolat said. “With the existing fleet we cannot do nonstop flights. We are talking with our codeshare partners, because it is more comfortable to operate Australia with the same aircraft.”

Turkish Airlines has an interesting loyalty program Miles&Smiles, so direct flights to Australia may open up some interesting opportunities with Turkish Airlines and other Star Alliance members.

Virgin Australia Building Its Short-Haul International Routes

Virgin Australia Building Its Short-Haul International Routes

Virgin Australia announced this week that it is resuming more short-haul international destinations and is also planning for further expansion of its international network later this year and in March 2023.

The carrier operated an extensive network to New Zealand before the pandemic, and intends to return to this market in November 2022 with flights to Queenstown (ZQN).

Virgin also operated long-haul international flights, primarily to the US. However, it cut all the long-haul routes when it decided to dispose of its widebody fleet as part of its restructuring as a primarily domestic operator in 2020.

Currently, Virgin’s only current international route is between Sydney and Fiji.

However, Virgin is now resuming flights to Bali (DPS), Indonesia—an important leisure destination. Flights between Sydney (SYD) and Bali start June 15, and routes from Melbourne (MEL) and Brisbane (BNE) to Bali are due to relaunch on June 17

Virgin has scheduled a wave of short-haul international routes in March 2023. This includes a service between Bali and Gold Coast (OOL), Australia, which it has not operated before. The flight is set to launch on March 29, 2023. Virgin Australia said the announcement of the Gold Coast-Bali route reflects increasing demand for flights in and out of Gold Coast, and the airline’s growing presence at the Gold Coast airport for domestic flights. The carrier currently operates up to 180 domestic outbound flights per week from Gold Coast, and bookings on Gold Coast flights were up by 55% in May versus 2019 levels.

Samoa (APW) and Vanuatu (VLI) will be added back to Virgin’s network during the same month. Flights from Brisbane to Vanuatu are due to begin on March 10, from Sydney to Samoa on March 21, and Brisbane to Samoa on March 23.

For the immediate future at least, Virgin will offer long-haul connections via its international partners. It is continuing its relationship with partners including Air Canada, All Nippon Airways, Etihad, Hawaiian Airlines and Singapore Airlines, and in May announced it will also partner with Qatar Airways. Earlier this year it also replaced Delta by United as its US partner.

Flights from Sydney (SYD) to Bali (DPS) are now available from A$ 787.75.  Check availability for Virgin Australia flights to Bali (or others that interest you).

(Virgin Australia is one of our advertisers and we may receive a small compensation from them)

Singapore Airlines Upgrades Its Lounge Offerings At Changi

Singapore Airlines Upgrades Its Lounge Offerings At Changi

Singapore Airlines (SIA) is positioning itself for a potential shift in traveling patterns of premium and high-net-worth customers through Singapore Changi airport, as the market shifts toward Southeast Asia. The Star Alliance member has unveiled an upgraded and expanded SilverKris and KrisFlyer Gold lounge at Changi Terminal 3. The project cost the airline S$50 million (US$37 million) and took nearly three years to complete. 

The four lounge areas, known as Private Room, the First-Class section of the SilverKris Lounge, the Business Class section of the SilverKris Lounge, and the KrisFlyer Gold Lounge, can collectively accommodate around 1,150 customers within 6,100 sq m, an 30% increase. 

The business-class section of the SilverKris lounge can host 570 travellers, including 200 in the dining area.

All areas have a dedicated dining area, food service counters, restrooms, and showers, as well as baby care and accessible facilities.

Singapore Airlines boosts services to Australia

Singapore Airlines boosts services to Australia

Singapore Airlines will increase its operations to four times daily to Melbourne, while Cairns and Darwin will increase to five times weekly, as travel demand continues to grow.

The increase in services to the two Northern Australian destinations aligns with the region’s peak visitation period and will support the recovery efforts of local tourism and travel operators.

The airline will roll out the airline’s newest narrowbody aircraft, the Boeing 737-8 (pictured) from June 2 on services to Darwin.

Singapore Airlines has invested around S$230 million in the development, design, and installation of the new cabin products, which elevate the standard for short- and medium-haul travel onboard narrowbody aircraft. The 737-8 is fitted with 154 seats across two classes, 10 in Business Class and 144 in Economy Class.

From June 2 onwards, the changes will be:

  • Cairns services will increase from three to five-times weekly, with SQ203/SQ204 to operate every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
  • Services to Darwin will increase to five-times weekly, with SQ251/252 operating every Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
  • Victorians will have four-daily flight options between Melbourne and Singapore when SQ207/SQ208 begins operations. The fourth-daily service will be operated by SIA’s Airbus A350-900 medium-haul aircraft, fitted with 40 lie-flat Business Class seats, all with direct aisle access and 263 ergonomically designed Economy Class seats in a 3-3-3 layout.
After these changes,, Singapore Airlines will operate 113 weekly flights between Singapore and seven Australian ports, while low-cost subsidiary Scoot will operate 23 weekly flights across four Australian ports for a total of 136 weekly services.

Virgin Australia / United Airlines partnership officially launched

Virgin Australia / United Airlines partnership officially launched

Virgin Australia and United Airlines celebrated their new partnership with a launch at, Sydney International Airport, yesterday.

The partnership between Virgin Australia Group and United Airlines was struck in December last year and it will triple the airline’s reach into the Americas, with flyers able to access more destinations across the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America.

The partnership establishes code-share co-operation, as well as reciprocal loyalty benefits for Velocity Frequent Flyer members to earn, redeem and receive tier benefits when traveling on United’s domestic and international network, connecting from the carrier’s multiple Australian gateways, including daily direct flights from San Francisco and Los Angeles to Sydney, with flights from Houston and direct services to Melbourne expected to resume later in 2022.

The United deal which replaced the airline’s former relationship with Delta Air Lines, is critical to Virgin Australia which  no longer has its long-range capable Boeing 777s that used to ply the Pacific to the US.

The partnership is a coup for Virgin Australia as United Airlines is a dominant Pacific player and the partnership will also extend United’s large Australian presence, as United offers more flights to Australia than any other U.S. carrier.

Virgin Australia’s CEO Ms Hrdlicka said that “Virgin Australia customers will have significantly more options for travel from Australia to the States, with more than three times as many services available to them, which is great news for Australian travelers”.

Qatar Airways expands its strategic partnership with Malaysia Airlines

Qatar Airways expands its strategic partnership with Malaysia Airlines

Qatar Airways and Malaysia Airlines today unveiled details of the next phase of their strategic partnership, following Malaysia Airlines’ announcement to launch a non-stop service from Kuala Lumpur to Doha from 25 May. The two partners will significantly expand their codeshare cooperation, allowing passengers to travel the world and enjoy seamless connectivity via their leading hubs in Kuala Lumpur and Doha.

The codeshare expansion, which adds 34 destinations to the existing 62 codeshare destinations, marks another milestone in the long-standing relationship between the two countries’ national carriers and Oneworld partners.

In linking their route networks, the partners are striving to develop Kuala Lumpur as a leading aviation hub in the Southeast Asia Region connecting Malaysia, Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand with the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, and Africa.

We would expect Singapore Airlines and Singapore's Changi Airport to have a different view, so developments in this space will be interesting.

ACCC grants interim Authorisation for Virgin Australia/United code-sharing

ACCC grants interim Authorisation for Virgin Australia/United code-sharing

On May 12th, the Australian ACCC granted authorisation for Virgin Australia to operate a "virtual global network" of routes using partnerships with other airlines, the first of which is United Airlines, but now subsequently Qatar Airways.

Virgin Australia intends to align with other “former and new partners” to expand its reach beyond short-haul routes, to which it is limited due to its existing fleet of narrowbody aircraft. Virgin Australia ceased all long-haul international flights and ended its lease agreements for its wide-body fleet during the pandemic. It has recently restarted flights to Nadi, Fiji and is planning to resume Bali, Indonesia flights in mid-June 2022.

The codesharing arrangements with United and Qatar airlines will provide Virgin Australia access to long-haul routes to Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the Americas.

Qatar Airways currently operates daily flights into Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, and Perth as well as three weekly flights into Adelaide continuing into Auckland, New Zealand. The codeshare agreement will enable Qatar Airways’ passengers to travel seamlessly to 35 destinations on Virgin Australia’s extensive domestic network on a single booking. QR’s passengers will also have access to Virgin Australia’s recently relaunched short-haul international markets, including Fiji and Queenstown, New Zealand. 

United Airlines is flying the SYD - LAX and SYD - SFO routes and is keen to return to the Sydney - Houston (IAH) sector later this year. It recently confirmed the restart of its Melbourne (MEL) - San Francisco (SFO) flights from June 5, making it the only US carrier flying direct Mebourne to the US. 

UA60 will take 15 hours and 45 minutes to make its way down to Melbourne, while the return flight UA61 will take 14 and a half hours to fly back to San Francisco. United is eyeing resuming the MEL - LAX flights later this year. United's 787-9 Dreamliner will operate the Melbourne flights, which for the 48 passengers in business class will have the latest United lie-flat Polaris seats, which considerably reduce the pain of long-haul flying.

Virgin Australia confirms start date for United Airlines partnership

Virgin Australia confirms start date for United Airlines partnership

Further to the announcement made on December 14th, Virgin Australia today confirmed that its new strategic frequent flyer and codeshare partnership with United Airlines will commence in two weeks on Tuesday 24 May 2022.

Velocity members will be able to earn Velocity Points and Status Credits, and eligible members will receive tier benefits when travelling with United. Reward Seat availability is another significant benefit of the partnership, as members will be able to use Velocity Points to redeem seats on United’s vast domestic and international network.

United offer the most flights between Australia and North America out of all US-based carriers. The partnership with United will triple Virgin Australia's network reach into the Americas, which means that Velocity members (and other Virgin Australia customers) will have access to new destinations when flying from Australia to the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America.

Virgin Australia's surprise partnership with Qatar Airways | Velocity members easy access to Q-suites?

Virgin Australia's surprise partnership with Qatar Airways | Velocity members easy access to Q-suites?

Virgin Australia today announced a new partnership with Qatar Airways, which will commence later this year.  More details, including a commencement date, are expected to be released soon.

Qatar Airways currently operates daily flights from Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth as well as three weekly flights from Adelaide with one-stop connectivity from these ports to over 140 worldwide destinations, including 54 cities in Europe.

Once the partnership starts, Virgin Velocity members will be able to earn Points and Status Credits whenever flying Qatar Airways. Eligible members will receive their status benefits such as lounge access, higher checked baggage allowances and priority boarding.

Reward Seat availability will be another benefit of this new partnership, as Velocity members will be able to use their Velocity Points to book Economy, Business and First Class seats, including Qatar’s renowned Q-Suite (available on select flights).

This could prove very attractive to Australians, by combining the ease of earning Velocity points and using them for Q-suite bookings (depending on the awards table, when released).
For others, Avios earned on Qatar flights (or transferred from BA and Iberia, which also use Avios as their rewards currency), could be redeemed for connections using short-haul or domestic Virgin Australia flights.

Qatar joins Virgin Australia's global family of international airline partnerships, including Virgin Atlantic, Air Canada, Etihad Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways and United Airlines. 

Air Canada, Singapore Airlines, South African Airways and United are members of Star Alliance, while Hawaiian Airlines and Virgin Atlantic are unaligned and have individually agreed partnerships. Qatar is the only OneWorld alliance member that has a partnership with Virgin Australia. So Virgin Austalia's Velocity could be a bridge between Star Alliance members and Qatar Airways.

Also interesting is the fact that Virgin Australia has a partnership with 2 of the 3 large Middle East airlines (Etihad and now Qatar).  Is this strategic?  - Rhetorical question...

Qantas and Qatar are both members of OneWorld, yet Qantas chooses to have a codeshare agreement with Emirates (the 3rd of the "ME3")...just saying...

Qantas confirms ultra-long haul flights from 2025

Qantas confirms ultra-long haul flights from 2025

Qantas confirmed that an order for 12 new aircraft (Airbus) will enable it to operate the world's longest flights, linking Australia's east-coast cities to both London and New York commencing late-2025.

This means that any city in the world will be just one flight away from Australia.

The ageing domestic fleet of Boeing 737's will also be replaced by Airbus AA321XLR's and A220's from late 2023.

Virgin Australia permanently slashes premium class fares + limited time boost to status earning

Virgin Australia permanently slashes premium class fares + limited time boost to status earning

On Thursday March 31st, Virgin Australia announced that it has permanently slashed its domestic business class fares by up to 60% across Australia which is expected to prompt a premium class fare war.

Importantly, Virgin Australia insists that its business class will continue to include all of the usual amenities including lounge access, priority check-in and boarding, higher checked baggage allowances, priority overhead luggage, in-flight entertainment, plated meals and Australian beer, wine and spirits, plus priority baggage delivery. So no cost-cutting from reduced benefits, genuine savings.

To promote the initiative and reward Velocity members, they will also earn 45 per cent more status credits on eligible Virgin Australia business class flights for travel by June 30, 2022, as part of an extended loyalty promotion.

Virgin Australia has also made significant reductions to fares on its short-haul international network with business class fares from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to Bali, Fiji and Queenstown currently available to book for travel later in 2022 with fares on these routes 30% to 50% per cent lower than pre-COVID.

Australia seems to be 6 - 12 months behind the US in terms of recovery in travel, where travel bookings have surged, especially for luxury and bucket-list travel.  

Perhaps Virgin Australia is anticipating the same here for 2H2022.

If they are right, now may be the time to lock in flights and accommodation to ensure you get the trip you have dreampt about...

Our associated travel agency Rewarding Travel would be delighted to assist you.

Qatar Airways Shock Move - Replacing Qmiles by Avios

Qatar Airways Shock Move - Replacing Qmiles by Avios

In a surprise move, Qatar Airways and IAG Loyalty announced overnight that effective from late March, Qatar's mileage currency will be Avios, replacing Qmiles

Qatar will join BA, Iberia,  Aer Lingus and Vueling, but will be the first airline not owned by IAG using Avios. Qatar will be no stranger to Avios though, as it a key shareholder of IAG with approx 25% ownership.

While more details are to be provided in early March, key points revealed so far are:

  • Qpoints (used to determine tier status) and Qcredits (offering free upgrades on Qatar Airways flights for elite Gold and Platinum tier members)  will remain unchanged.
  • Existing Qmiles will transfer 1:1 into Avios in your Qatar Airways Privilege account “by the end of March” 2022.
  • Qatar Airways promises that the number of Qmiles/Avios you need to redeem for flights will remain the same - no devaluation (at least for now).
  • Rules for expiration of Qatar Avios will remain the same as for Qmiles, as will those for attaining tier status. The tier validity of all Silver, Gold and Platinum members due for renewal this calendar year was recently extended to 31 December 2022.
  • For Qatar Privilege members, it opens the possibility of earning Avios in far more many ways, which can be then redeemed for flights on not only Qatar Airways flights, but also BA, Iberia etc (or other OneWorld members).
  • While not explicitly stated, there are hints that Qatar Avios will be able to be transferred to other Avios programs on a 1:1 basis without cost. This would open up the potential to earn Avios on (say) BA and redeem them on a Qatar flight (or vice versa).
  • Privilege Club allows for sharing miles with your family, and, British Airways allows for points pooling, so if we see the ability to pool Avios together and then transfer them to other programs, this could make the programs very flexible.
Initial Thoughts:
  • If Avios can be pooled, or transferred freely, then potentially a member could select whichever carrier best suits their redemption goals.  BA’s distance-based redemption table is known to favour short-haul flights, while Qatar’s redemption table offers greater opportunities for (surcharge-free) travel between say UK and Asia or Australia.
  • For Australians, Avios earned on the more plentiful Qatar routes could be redeemed (as BA  Avios) for domestic Qantas flights, for approx 2/3 the number of Avios vs Qantas points.
  • The greater options to earn Avios (say from spending or credit-cards sign-up bonuses or transfers) will provide more travellers with access to redemptions for Qatar’s famed Q-suites.
  • Could this be the start of Avios becoming the mileage currency for all OneWorld alliance members?  Imagine the possibilities !
As always, the devil is in the detail.  More will be revealed in the next few weeks...


A video of Captain Khalifa Al Thani landing his Boeing 777 at Heathrow during Storm Eunice on 19 February 2022.

It makes one appreciate how skilled Commercial Pilots are !

Kudos to Captain Al Thani of Qatar Airways and all the pilots whose skills keep us safe.

My moment of pause to respect  

Wishing to all pilots, skies like the picture rather than the video...


Alaska Airlines launched its latest innovation on 16 February 2022 - a subscription model for people who fly regularly (not necessarily frequently).

By committing to one year of a monthly subscription, passengers will get credits to put toward roundtrip flights on eligible daily routes within the selected west coast region, which includes California airports in Sacramento, Sonoma,  San Francisco, San Jose, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Fresno, Santa Barbara, Burbank, Los Angeles, Orange County, Palm Springs, and San Diego.  There are also flights to nearby Reno, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.

Under the program savings average approx 20% to 30% across the 100 daily flights between the 16 airports.

The way it works is that travellers who agree to pay a monthly fee will receive credits to fly a fixed number of round-trips through the subscription year. A basic subscription starts at $49 a month and requires booking tickets at least two weeks before travel. A more flexible subscription starts at $199 a month and allows booking up to two hours before flight departure time. Both plans allow flight selection as early as 90 days ahead of the travel date. Once travellers have selected a plan, they can choose their volume of flights, such as six, 12, or 24 a year. A basic plan with six flights typically costs $763 a year — after taxes and fees.

Two caveats are that:
(1) you can only subscribe through the Alaska Airlines website and
(2) that the booking credits do expire and must be booked for a flight within 90 days before the next set of credits will be deposited. If the credits haven't been used at the time the next credits are added, then they’ll be forfeited.

Once the booking process is complete, Flight Pass passengers will receive the same class of service Alaska Airlines normally provides, including main cabin seat selection, no change fees, and earned miles on every flight.

To ensure passenger safety, the airline continues to enact its Next-Level Care program, that includes 100 pandemic-era health and safety checks, including a hospital-grade air filters and a partnership with Clorox.

I am sure we will see many more post-covid era changes to the ways we travel.


Qantas today announced that it is permanently cutting the points required when booking Qantas Hotels by 30% and for Qantas Holidays by 45%.

Both are significant reductions for Qantas Frequent Flyer members.

Further, to celebrate the announcement Qantas is also offering for a limited time, 20% off Points Plus Pay flights.

Get on board!

For further details...


S&P Global's Sustainability Yearbook 2022 considered over 7,500 companies across 61 industries around the world and selected 716 companies for this year’s edition based on their S&P Global ESG Scores using this Yearbook Methodology. Prize winners in the 2022 edition included:

Airlines
Gold:  ANA     Silver:  China Airlines, EVA     Bronze:  LATAM Airlines      Honourable Mention:  Air France-KLM, JAL, American Airlines

Hotels, Resorts & Cruise Lines
Gold:  Hilton Wordwide      Silver:  Melia Hotels    Bronze:  NH Hotels

Interestingly, both Melia Hotels and NH Hotels are Spanish companies.  Of the total 716 companies selected this year, 26 ( 3.6%) are Spanish companies - a strong showing.

Congratulations and thanks to all whose efforts made the grade for this year’s yearbook !

For more information...

AirAsia X to resume flights between KL & Australia

AirAsia X to resume flights between KL & Australia

Following a restructure, AirAsia X is resuming its full commercial service post-pandemic between Kuala Lumpur and Sydney commencing from February 14.

The airline said it will prioritize full redemptions for its passengers affected by the restructuring with passengers able to reinstate their flight booking and utilize their credit account to book the flights.

Flights will initially be operated weekly on Mondays from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney and returning on Tuesdays, starting February 14, 2022, to March 22, 2022.

Schedules for the autumn/winter session will be announced in mid-February.

It is understood that a resumption of flights to other Australian destinations including Perth will be reviewed over the coming months.

AirAsia X is a low-cost affiliate of the AirAsia Group operating an all wide body A330-300 fleet.

Vueling launches new routes from/into UK

Vueling launches new routes from/into UK

Vueling, the low-cost sister airline of British Airways (BA) and Iberia, has announced an expansion of routes as part of its summer 2022 flying program.

The Spanish carrier plans to operate 12 short-haul routes from London Gatwick (LGW), five of which are new additions. Three of its aircraft will be based at Gatwick from April.

The latest expansion will see Vueling begin flying to Granada (GRX), La Coruña (LCG), Malaga (AGP), Menorca (MAH) and Seville (SVQ).

These new routes are in addition to the 28 services from Paris Orly it ANNOUNCED LATE IN 2021 following approval by the European Commission for 18 slots as part of the recapitalisation of Air France. Six UK airports—Belfast (BFS), Birmingham (BHX), Cardiff (CWL), Edinburgh (EDI), Glasgow (GLA) and Newcastle (NCL)—were among the destinations to receive new routes.

Learn more about the new Vueling routes. Some may suit you very well.

Vueling is one of our advertisers. Using our link may provide us with a small remuneration.


Similar to the crossover program between Accor Live Limitless and Qantas Frequent Flyers, there is now a similar offer specifically for business owners.

Benefits include discounted flights and Qantas Club membership with Qantas and for Accor, discounted rooms, food & beverages at participating Accor properties in the APAC region.

Better yet, for a limited time there is a promotional offer where you can receive 5,000 bonus Qantas points when you join Accor Business Plus and Qantas Business Rewards. You can receive a further 5,000 Qantas points by making purchases.

You must purchase an Accor Business Plus between 17 January and 13 March 2022 to receive the bonus Qantas points. Other T&C's also apply.

This is a very attractive promotion if relevant to you. Like to learn more? 


Qatar Airways (advertiser)  is celebrating its 25th birthday with a host of special offers for the next 7 days (book before 18 January). The Global Sale 25th Anniversary Campaign is valid on all Qatar Airways flights for travel until October 31, 2022.

There are great savings on flight tickets (economy and business), seat selection, extra baggage allowance, hotel bookings, and car rental.

If not already a member, join Privilege Club using the enrolment promo code FLYQR22 to instantly earn an additional 2,500 bonus Qmiles.

To take advantage of this offer, travellers must book on qatarairways.com/25Years or visit their preferred travel agents.

Qatar Airways has won numerous awards during its 25 year history, including Skytrax 2021 Airline of the Year (the sixth time),  Skytrax 2021 World's Best Business Class, Skytrax 2021 World's Best Business Class Seat, as well as AirlineRatings.com Airline of the Year for 2021.

Congratulations Qatar Airways !


Until 20 January, Skywards members can buy miles at a 35% discount to their usual price, when purchasing 5,000 miles or more.

Members can buy up to 100,000 miles per calendar year (200,000 for Gold and Platinum elites).

This is a very useful discount if you have a particular redemption in mind. Just be aware of the fixed expiration of Skywards miles (3 years from date of purchase - which should provide flexibility).

Virgin Australia suspends 10 routes due to covid-19

Virgin Australia suspends 10 routes due to covid-19

Virgin Australia will suspend 10 routes from Jan. 24 through at least the end of February citing high COVID-19 case numbers. 

Together with reducing the frequency of flights on other routes, it is expected to lower capacity by 25%.

Routes affected are:

From Sydney (SYD) flights to Fiji (NAN) will be dropped, the lone international route that will be shelved. Also from SYD, domestic flights to Townsville (TSV) will be paused.

From Melbourne (MEL), Virgin will also suspend routes to TSV, together with Coffs Harbour (CFS), Hamilton Island (HTI) and TSV.

From Adelaide (ADL), the airline will pause routes to Cairns (CNS), Darwin (DRW) and Sunshine Coast (MCY).

From Gold Coast (OOL), Virgin will suspend routes to Hobart (HBA) and Launceston (LST). 

It appears that Virgin Australia is targetting the period immediately after many schools will have returned for this year. If you are planning to travel during February, you may need to adjust your planned flights...

Top 20 Safest Airlines for 2022

Top 20 Safest Airlines for 2022

Airline Ratings has announced its 2022 rankings of the Top 20 Safest Airlines, taken from the list of 385 different airlines it monitors.

Qantas lost its long-held spot at number 1. This year, the winner's prize travels across the Tasman sea to Air New Zealand

When announcing the results, Airline Ratings noted that “there is very little between the top 20, they are all standouts.”  So all of these 20 are excellent choices from a safety perspective.

Two of the ME3 were in the top 5 with Singapore Airlines and TAP.

Qantas dropped to 7th spot. The Virgin cousins ranked 10th.

The full list of rankings are:

  • Air New Zealand
  • Etihad Airways
  • Qatar Airways
  • Singapore Airlines
  • TAP Air Portugal
  • SAS,
  • Qantas
  • Alaska Airlines
  • EVA Air
  • Virgin Australia/Atlantic
  • Cathay Pacific Airways
  • Hawaiian Airlines
  • American Airlines
  • Lufthansa/Swiss Group
  • Finnair
  • Air France/KLM Group
  • British Airways
  • Delta Air Lines
  • United Airlines; and
  • Emirates.
Congratulations (and thanks) to all these airlines for their ongoing commitment to safety !


Alaska Airlines has extended the status of its elite tier members. Current tier status will now expire on 30 April 2022 (rather than tomorrow) - a 4 month extension.

Not as good as the 12 month extension given by some other airlines, but there is also a status challenge to help elite tier members re-qualify for their current tier (nb you can't move up tiers).

If you earn the following amounts of base miles between January 1 and April 30, 2022, you will retain your 2021 status through the end of 2022:

  • MVP members: 5,000 miles
  • MVP Gold members: 10,000 miles
  • MVP Gold 75K members: 20,000 miles
These amounts are roughly 25% of what you would normally need, meaning you must earn 1/4 of the usual requirements in 1/3 of a year.  

On the face of it, this looks to be a more relaxed pace than usual. It is if your flying patterns are spread evenly through a year, but if it is concentrated in say the summer months, you may miss out.

T&C's apply.  The next 4 months are ok, but beyond then you may need to plan ahead.

Qantas Airbus A380's | early return to commercial service in January

Qantas Airbus A380's | early return to commercial service in January

Qantas’ flagship the Airbus A380 superjumbo will return to service in January, three months ahead of schedule and almost two years since last flying commercially.

The service provides the flexibility now needed to replace flying that was scheduled to be performed by the airline’s Boeing 787s.  About 70 Qantas 787 pilots are Queensland-based and are required to undertake 14 days isolation after each international service, reducing their availability to operate.

The Queensland Government has indicated it will relax restrictions on international travel when 90 percent of the state is double vaccinated, currently estimated to occur in late January, enabling 787 flying to normalize from then.

From January 11 the Sydney-Los Angeles service will be reduced from a daily 787 service to three weekly A380 services and one weekly 787 service.

The changes will commencing from January 11 will be

* Qantas Sydney-Los Angeles service will be reduced from a daily 787 service to three weekly A380 services and one weekly 787 service.

* Qantas Melbourne-London route will be reduced from daily 787 services to up to four weekly services

* Qantas Melbourne-Los Angeles service reduced from four weekly 787 services to three.

Additional A380 aircraft will progressively return to Australia in early 2022 for maintenance checks and crew training before being returned to service.

A great step forward - I much prefer the A380 for the long-haul flights needed to get almost anywhere from Australia.

Singapore Airlines Supporting its Corporate Customers with Carbon Offsets

Singapore Airlines Supporting its Corporate Customers with Carbon Offsets

Singapore Airlines continues to be invested in conducting business responsibly and integrating sustainability in its operations.

To help its corporate customers (through its HighFlyer loyalty program) it has launched a program where In partnership with Tasman Environmental Markets (TEM) and its BlueHalo® digital solution, businesses can calculate and offset carbon emissions associated with the travel of their employees.

Perhaps not as good as SIA offsetting it themselves, but a step in the right direction and every little bit helps.

Once you have calculated the amount to offset, businesses can offset them using Paying.Green's CarbonEasy program. (advertiser)


Saint Lucia has celebrated the return of Virgin Atlantic flights to Hewanorra Airport (UVF).

The airline first started flying to Saint Lucia in 1999.

Following an 18-month break, the service is back with three weekly direct flights from London Heathrow. This takes direct flights from the UK up to 11 per week.

Investment in UK marketing steps up this winter with consumer advertising planned for a new winter campaign called ‘Let Her In’ starting today and running through mid-February. This includes TV, digital and social media.

Sant Lucia Tourism Authority is also working with 15 tour operators to provide offers to travellers from their main website.

The Tourism Authority will also participate in VS & other airline partner campaigns.

Search for or book flights via Virgin Atlantic (advertiser), or to check current travel restrictions for Saint Lucia,...


Taj Hotels is inviting members of its Inner Circle loyalty program to "Toast to the season with special stay packages and celebrations curated exclusively for you at the resplendent The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai."

The #ToastToTomorrow offer is a very attractive package and something to celebrate:

  • 25% savings on room rates at Palace Wing
  • breakfast and set meal for two at a designated venue
  • special savings on signature treatments at Jiva spa
  • Special in-room festive amenities.

Built in 1903, the beautifully ornate & historic Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai is India's first luxury hotel. Offering panoramic views of the Arabian Sea and the Gateway of India (pictured), is a near neighbour. The hotel offers a total of 543 rooms including 54 suites, each adorned with original paintings and period furniture that exude an aura of old-world charm and elegance.

The Palace wing is the more upmarket section, consisting of 285 rooms and suites. Palace Services in the Palace Wing of the hotel add to the experience, where the butler plays the all-important role of guide and assistant (think – your own personal Concierge).

Taj Inner Circle members should snap up this offer for a mesmerising experience - so much more than only a stay.

If you're not a member, it's free to join (hint). Select Inher Circle from the drop down "membership" menu near the top of the page when you read on for more details.

Bookings must be made by January 5th and stays completed by 31 March 2022.
Other T&C's also  apply.

When looking to book your flight, Etihad (advertiser) are also offering a promotion to Explore India - well worth a look.


Vueling has a flash sale, where fares are only €2 or £2. Valid for international outbound or return flights in 2022 operated by Vueling.

The fare includes Vueling's Flex Pack service which means that you can cancel your booking and get back the amount as Flight Credit, or change your flight with no change fee.

This is a special promotional offer and is only available until 31 December. 

We have access to this special offer because Vueling is one of our advertisers.  If you make a purchase using our link, at no additional cost to you we may earn a small compensation. 

T&C's apply, but are very flexible.

This is a great offer.  Make sure you get on board.

Buy Qmiles with up to 30% off

Buy Qmiles with up to 30% off

Qatar Airways is running a promotion through 24 December, offering Qmiles with up to 30% off their usual price.

This equates to USD 21 / thousand.

Not the cheapest of deals, but ok if you need to top-up a few miles for a targetted redemption. 

T&C's apply.

Aer Lingus partners with Emerald Airlines | regional UK links to USA

Aer Lingus partners with Emerald Airlines | regional UK links to USA

Aer Lingus and Emerald Airlines have announced details of the commencement of Aer Lingus Regional flights, with tickets on sale now for flights commencing 17 March 2022.

The flights operated under a franchise agreement by Emerald Airlines will be for more than 340 flights per week across 11 routes.

High-frequency routes, including Dublin-Edinburgh and Dublin-Glasgow, will be served up to four times daily.

The announcement sees the re-establishment of services to regional points across the UK including Newquay Cornwall, Exeter and Isle of Man.

The arrangement adds over 60 UK – US routes on the Aer Lingus network, including connecting UK regional airports via Dublin to New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Seattle.

BA and Qatar Airways combining to offer more routes

BA and Qatar Airways combining to offer more routes

British Airways and Qatar Airways have unveiled plans to extend their joint business partnership.

The news follows British Airways’ relaunch of daily services to Doha, with the airline’s first flight taking off from Gatwick last week.

This winter, the airlines will jointly operate up to six daily flights between London and Doha - five from London Heathrow and one from London Gatwick.

The two airlines also announced that they intend to further expand their joint business and offer customers access to more destinations on their respective networks.

The proposed expansion will give customers enhanced access from Europe to popular destinations in the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Australasia, such as Singapore, Sydney, Colombo and Nairobi.

It will also improve access to destinations within Europe such as Amsterdam, Madrid or Dublin.

The expansion of routes will provide more options to connect onto popular holiday hotspots such as the Maldives and Seychelles.

The airlines expect to receive news of any relevant regulatory approvals of their expanded proposition in the first half of 2022.


Vueling recently announced a swag of new routes to Paris, operating for the next few months.

They include many European cities but notably ones all over the UK - London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Newcastle, Glasgow, Dublin & Cork.

Do you like the sound of London - Paris return for less than EUR 61 on the Skytrax “Best Low-Cost Airline in Europe 2021” ?

Note that Vueling is one of our advertisers and at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small compensation from our link.

T&C's apply, but there are plenty of options available.  

Like to see what best suits you?

Virgin Australia switches partners | United Airlines replacing Delta

Virgin Australia switches partners | United Airlines replacing Delta

Virgin Australia today announced  a long term strategic frequent flyer and codeshare partnership with United Airlines which will be phased into the Virgin Australia family from April next year.

Velocity members will earn Velocity Points and Status Credits, and eligible members will receive tier benefits when travelling with United. Reward Seat availability is another significant benefit of the partnership, as members will be able to use Velocity Points to redeem seats on United’s vast domestic and international network.

United offer the most flights between Australia and North America out of all US-based carriers. The partnership with United will triple Virgin Australia's network reach into the Americas, which means that Velocity members (and other Virgin Australia customers) will have access to new destinations when flying from Australia to the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean and South America.

This strategic partnership will replace a long-term one held with Delta Air Lines and will be phased-in before it fully launches in April 2022 to minimise disruption to Virgin Austalia and Delta customers. 


Velocity has an offer of up to 6,000 bonus Points and 60 Status Credits when you book and fly with one of its partner airlines departing Australia.

An Eligible Flight is a flight marketed and operated by Delta Air Lines, Singapore Airlines, Etihad Airways, Air Canada or Hawaiian Airlines departing from an Australian city for travel to or via Los Angeles, Singapore, Abu Dhabi, Vancouver, Honolulu between December 2021 and 30 June 2022 inclusive.

Bonus Points and Status Credits are a one-time bonus and awarded only on the first international flight segment out of an Australian city.

While you can book and fly through 30 June 2022, you must activate the offer in your Velocity account by the end of 12 December - only 2 more days.

Other T&C's also apply, which you can read when you register.

Etihad lanches its "green" loyalty program

Etihad lanches its "green" loyalty program

Etihad Guest has introduced a series of sustainability-focused initiatives to reward members for making ‘green’ choices and providing options to reduce their own carbon footprint.

Conscious Choices, a new range of sustainable initiatives offered by the loyalty programme of Etihad Airways, has been created to support Etihad’s overarching sustainability ambition to halve 2019 emissions by 2035 & achieve net zero emissions by 2050.

Etihad Guest members wishing to fly and spend more consciously and sustainably can now earn Tier Miles, and other rewards, for making sustainable choices, such as:
* carrying less baggage on board
* offsetting their flights’ carbon emissions using Etihad Guest Miles
* offsetting everyday emissions such as driving, or cooling their home
* donating miles to a green cause; and
* by purchasing sustainable products from the Etihad Guest Reward Shop in partnership with Collinson and CarbonClick (launches January 2022).

Members can also choose to ’go green’, by opting for a digital membership card instead of physical.

In October 2021, Etihad operated its most sustainable flight ever, leveraging the learnings and efficiencies developed over the last two years to reduce carbon emissions by 72 per cent in absolute terms compared to the equivalent flight operated in 2019.

The EY20 Sustainable Flight is an example of what the future of commercial air travel looks like and is now bookable through Etihad's website.

Flying Blue deals | combine for hefty savings

Flying Blue deals | combine for hefty savings

Flying Blue (Air France & KLM) has two promotions currently running for its members, that if combined result in hefty savings.

1)  Until 23 December, members can purchase Flying Blue miles (advertiser) and receive 100% bonus miles.  Elite tier members can receive a maximum bonus of 300,000 miles, while for Explorer tier members it is limited to 100,000 miles.

2) The other is part of a monthly promotion campaign for selected routes. This month there are 22 routes, all with 25% discount to the points usually required. Book before 31 December for flights through 31 May 2022.  Next month the routes may be different and the discount typically lies between 25% to 50%.

While the effective discount of 50% from the first offer is good, by combining both offers, Flying Blue members this month can save up to 62.5% if the routes suit you.

At that saving, it is worth looking to make new plans !

Note that T&C's apply to both offers and points.com is an advertiser and should you use our link to purchase miles, at no additional cost to you we may receive a small remuneration.

Alaska adds Awards Table for Iberia

Alaska adds Awards Table for Iberia

Alaska is slowly further integrating with its Oneworld partners.

Following the increase in code-shared routes with Iberia announced in early October, Alaska has now released its Partner Awards Table for Iberia.

At first glance it doesn't offer the exceptional value obtainable with other partners (especially for business and first class).

Alaska seems to be retaining individual tables for its partners rather than a single unified table for all partners.  So the program may continue to offer gems of redemptions.

There are still a few Oneworld partners that do not have tables in place, so keep watching this space.

  • Royal Air Maroc
  • Royal Jordanian
  • S7
  • SriLankan Airlines
  • Malaysia Airlines

Buy Alaska miles with up to 50% discount

Buy Alaska miles with up to 50% discount

Alaska has an offer for Mileage Plan members to purchase miles with up to 50% bonus miles. This 50% bonus offer runs until 23 December, 2021.

This is one of the better buy miles deals comes that Alaska Airlines has offered. 

We don't recommend speculatively buying miles, but it can make sense if:

  • you need to top off your balance to complete a specific redemption. 
  • the cost is considerably cheaper than paying for the product you want outright and you will make your reservation fairly soon, even if the flight is further down the track.
Alaska mileage sales have been known to be targeted, so different members may see different bonus levels. You will need to login to your account to see what applies to yourself.

We like Alaska Mileage Plan for international travellers, due to the great redemptions under its Partners Awards rates. This may change to a unified awards table now they have joined Oneworld, but currently there are great redemptions for long-haul flights on Qantas and especially for business/first class fares with Cathay and Fiji Airways.

Historically, if you flew Qantas return Melbourne to London and assigned your points to Alaska, then redeemed Mileage Plan miles for a later Qantas flight to London, your spend to earn & redeem those miles was cut by around 40%. 

Should you buy Alaska miles using our link, at no additional cost to you, we may earn a small remuneration.


Flying Blue today announced that it is extending the validity of Flying Blue Miles until at least 31 December 2022.

This is a welcome reprieve for its members and recognises that "2021 was a challenging year for you to travel, both for discovering new horizons and visiting loved ones."

They are also assisting members to gain/retain tier status. Between 1 January and 30 June 2022, they are offering a 50% XP bonus (status points) for bookings made on flights marketed by either Air France or KLM.

Kudos to them.


Short on Miles for a reward or an upgrade with either Air France or KLM?

You can buy the extra Miles you need and for a limited time, receive twice as many miles as usual.

Explorer members can buy Flying Blue miles at a 100% bonus through 23 December, 2021. Elite Flying Blue members can purchase up to 300,000 per transaction (with no limit on the number of transactions), before the bonus, and others may only purchase up to 100,000 in a calendar year.

Points.com is one of our advertisers and we may earn a small compensation should you use our link to make a purchase.

Alaska Airlines eliminating plastic water bottles & cups from all flights

Alaska Airlines eliminating plastic water bottles & cups from all flights

Back in 2018, the airline eliminated both plastic straws and stir sticks. In a further step towards reducing plastic waste globally, Alaska Airlines announced this week that it is eliminating all plastic water bottles on board its aircraft and replacing them with boxed water.

In addition to serving the Boxed Water Is Better brand to customers, which is sealed with a plant-based cap, Alaska will switch to recyclable paper cups for water service. Combined, the switches will represent about 1.8 million pounds (!) of single-use plastics eliminated from flights over the next year.

While hydrating on a flight is always a good idea, it is not recommended to drink water that isn't in a container. For more on hydration and snacks while flying, see our 5 top tips for travellers' health.

Kudos to Alaska for this latest initiative.

Qantas to reward eco-friendly frequent flyers with new "Green" Status tier

Qantas to reward eco-friendly frequent flyers with new "Green" Status tier

Qantas has announced a suite of changes to its loyalty program to reward environmentally conscious flyers. .

"Qantas will be the first airline in the world to reward frequent flyers for being more sustainable in the air and on the ground," it said in a statement.

It has introduced a new "Green" status tier to sit alongside its elite status tiers of Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One. As with Qantas’ longstanding Fly Carbon Neutral program, money paid towards Qantas Green offsets will fund environmentally-friendly projects designed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions

"Members will need to complete at least five sustainable activities across six areas – flying, travel, lifestyle, sustainable purchases, reducing impact and giving back - each year to achieve Green tier status.”

Once achieved, members will be rewarded with benefits like bonus Qantas Points or status credits. These benefits will be in addition to the rewards they get under their existing flying tier status or as part of belonging to its (non-flying points earning) Points Club.

The initiative comes as the airline strives towards its goal of net zero emissions by 2050. Other airlines which have made a net-zero 2050 commitment include Virgin Australia, Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Air New Zealand, British Airways, Etihad Airways and Japan’s ANA.

As the world focuses on reducing emissions, this is a positive step. Every little bit helps

Lufthansa’s new tools to support travellers

Lufthansa’s new tools to support travellers

 As international travel restrictions start to ease and the world opens up again, the Lufthansa Group has established several practical tools to make travelling as normal as possible again. 

#ReadyForANewTime aims to ensure that travellers can always have a well-planned, sustainable and comfortable travel experience.

While the digital document checking and the online winter flight schedule for 2021/2022 tools are specific to Lufthansa Group airlines, there are 4 tools that will benefit all international airline travellers:

1) Interactive World Maps shows which countries can be visited without major restrictions - with or without a COVID-19 vaccination.
2) Worldwide entry regulations: a tool to help you with the latest entry regulations for all destinations.
3) List of Corona test centres at airports worldwide: find the exact testing requirements for all destinations as well as locations of airport test centres.
4) A check-list to download or print that summarises everything passengers need to know to travel in times of Corona.

A great initiative by Lufthansa !  Kudos to them.


With just over a year to go until the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 kicks-off, Qatar Airways Holidays has launched a range of fan travel packages.

The deals are inclusive of match tickets, accommodation options & return flights from more than 140 destinations around the globe.

Football fans can guarantee their match tickets to support their favourite team during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 with the option to choose additional services to explore the host country.

By joining the Qatar Airways Privilege Club, fans will have access to unique travel packages with booking flexibility. The fan travel packages will guarantee fans an experience where every step of their journey will be hassle-free and with a few easy steps, they can secure seats for their favourite team’s matches.

Each fan can book a total of seven matches by combining more than one package.

Additionally, fans can specify how many guests they are travelling with and the number of rooms they would like to stay in. They can choose from standard to premium accommodation based on their preferences.

Qantas offering status ‘fast track’ | access OneWorld benefits

Qantas offering status ‘fast track’ | access OneWorld benefits

Qantas is once again running a status ‘fast track’ offer for elite tier members of 16 competitor airline loyalty programs. People who hold eligible loyalty status with a qualifying airline program are invited to switch to Qantas and get Qantas Gold status.

All you have to do is register for this promo by 30 November and earn 100 status credits between 1 December 2021 and 28 February 2022. This equates to (eg) 5 return economy trips between Sydney & Melbourne, but for more ideas you can use the Qantas points and status credits calculator.

During this period, Qantas will provide you with a ‘taste of Gold’ by way of complimentary Qantas Club access and extra checked baggage.

Note that:
1)  
registrations are only open to individuals with an Australian or New Zealand home postal address. You’ll need to provide evidence of your existing status with an eligible airline.

2)  Those wishing to transfer from a higher tier – Platinum and Platinum One equivalents – will only be able to transfer to Qantas’ Gold status, rather than have their status matched. Reaching a higher frequent flyer status with Qantas will require members to earn the normal status credits, so this is a “fast track” rather than a “status match” promotion.

Full Gold tier benefits with Qantas include:
*  lounge access across Qantas and oneworld airline lounges globally
*  preferential seating and priority access to reward seats
*  priority check-in, boarding and upgrade requests.

If you are an elite member with an airline in either the Star Alliance or SkyTeam alliances, this is an opportunity to gain access to lounges of OneStar alliance members.

For more information, visit qantas.com/statusfasttrack.

Cathay launches its "Green" Day sale

Cathay launches its "Green" Day sale

No, not the rock band….Cathay will include free of charge, a carbon offset for each fare purchased as part of this promotion - hence "Green" Day rather than Black Friday.

In Australia & NZ, it offers big savings on its Two Together companion offer to several destinations in UK, Europe and North America.  Book a special Two Together fare, and you’ll get up to 50% off the second ticket. 

If travelling from the UK, it's even better. You'll get 50% off the second ticket or if you’re travelling with friends and family, get 25% off each ticket, including children’s tickets, when 3 or more people travel together. In addition, they're offsetting double the carbon emissions.

In the Asia region (eg Singapore) the offer is different again. You need the Cathay discount code and then if you buy one and get the second ticket 10% off in Economy (+ 500 Asia Miles if a member) or 15% off Premium Economy Class (+ 800 Asia Miles if a member) or 15% off if you are both flying Business Class (+ 1,000 Asia Miles if a member). Again, offsetting double the carbon emissions.

From the US, there are discounted fares for a Black Friday sale - there doesn't appear to be any carbon offsets.

Book by 29 November 2021 for travel between 1 March and 21 October 2022. T&C's apply.

Don't miss out as seats are limited!

You can also jump to our summary of the best Black Friday deals for accommodation, luggage and other items to make your travel smoother and more enjoyable.


Virgin Australia's loyalty program Velocity has announced a flash sale of award seats for its members.

Until midnight 23 November 2021, you can redeem Points for a Reward Seat on every Economy seat on the Virgin Australia domestic network, for travel between 1 December 2021 to 31 March 2022.
Yes - even during peak travel periods like Christmas and New Years!

Not quite enough points for what you would like to do?  Purchase Velocity points with a 20% discount when you purchase between 1,000 and 100,000 Points before 17 December 2021.

All eligible Virgin Australia Reward Seats will also earn you Status Credits for travel until 31 March 2022.

T&C's apply.  There isn't much time for this promotion, so get in quck!

Accor & Qantas commence their dual earning alliance

Accor & Qantas commence their dual earning alliance

Today marked the launch of the "crossover" alliance between the Accor Live Limitless and Qantas Frequent Flyer programs. 

Under their agreement, you must be a member of both programs, then you can earn points under both programs:

1) from Qantas flights around the world if they hold at least either ALL Gold or QFF Platinum tier status;
2) from stays at Accor properties, regardless of tier status, but only for stays in the APAC region.

Learn more about the benefits for both ALL members & QFF members.

bonza New Australian Domestic Airline On Track For 2Q2022 takeoff

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 & 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'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.