In our new “From the AFF Archives” series, we’ve opened up the Australian Frequent Flyer Gazette archives to bring you a selection of historical articles, news items and “travel tips” dating back to the very first Gazette in 2000!

Today, we take a look back at a segment from the April 2001 edition of the Frequent Flyer Gazette called “Helping You Get The Most Mileage”.

Spoiler alert: The best Australian domestic airfare deals in 2001 could be found by booking with some new-fangled technology called the internet. Enjoy!

This article was originally published in the Australian Frequent Flyer Gazette in April 2001.

Where to find cheap airfares

We’ve mentioned this in the Gazette before, but it is worth mentioning again. You will find the cheapest airfares if you use the airline’s booking service over the Internet. The airlines do not publicise these cheap fares, and they are not available through travel agents or even over the phone. 

One example given by the Industry Standard was one-way tickets between Sydney and Melbourne. The cheapest airfare over the phone was $191.40, but you could book a flight for a mere $66 online. If you are looking for super-savings, spend a couple of hours checking on the Internet at Qantas, Ansett, Virgin and Impulse Airlines. Don’t forget that Virgin don’t accept American Express or Diners Club cards.

Virgin Blue launched a direct Adelaide-Sydney service last Thursday, and for the first nine days of March the flights are only $99 one-way. Book now, and book online. Chief executive officer of Virgin, Brett Godfrey said, ‘It’s interesting to note that on routes they [Qantas and Ansett] duopolise, such as Perth or Darwin, the big guys simply don’t offer consistent low fares.’

Impulse as of Sunday morning announced some incredibly cheap fares on their Web site – $39 one way between Brisbane and Sydney. Bookings must be made between 4-18 March inclusive. Available for travel between 5 March and 8 April.

Virgin Blue will also start a daily service between Brisbane and Townsville on March 15, bringing consistent low fares to North Queensland for the first time. To celebrate Virgin is offering a $99 one way fare for every seat in March on any booking made on the net prior to the first Brisbane -Townsville departure on March 15.

Other ways to maximise your Qantas & Ansett points

New Zealand Frequent Flyer members can also earn Frequent Flyer points and Qantas Telstra ANZ Visa Card Reward Points on Qantas New Zealand flights, to the equivalent of three Reward Points per dollar.

Earn 30% more Qantas Frequent Flyer points on one-way or return economy or business class flights between Hong Kong and Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Bangkok, Bahrain, Dubai, Mumbai or Karachi on Cathay Pacific.

Score double Qantas Frequent Flyer points at the Saville Apartments, the Canterbury, the Cairns International Hotel and Quest Hotels. Earn triple points at Pacific International hotels. Qantas members can also earn one point with every dollar spent on National Direct Dialled voice calls (and if you pay with your Telstra Visa Card you can also earn extra points!).

Ansett will not be giving points from March 25 for discount economy tickets booked on Singapore Airlines classes V, Q, G or N. Ansett are giving away double points from Sydney or Melbourne to Hong Kong until March 31. Also from Hong Kong to the United Kingdom when flying Upper Class on Virgin Atlantic. Earn 5000 bonus points on a Trans-Tasman business class return airfare to New Zealand. See the Ansett Web site for more details.

Members of the Global Rewards Westpac Visa card can earn two Global Rewards points for every dollar spent at: Merringtons Optometrist, Pearsons Florist, Zamel’s, Sheppard’s, Mazzuchelli’s, Drummond Golf, Solomons Flooring, Westpac General Insurance, Beurepaires Tyres, Collins Bookstores, Porters Liquor, selected Billy Guyatts, Archie Martin and Chandlers stores.

Want travel tips that are relevant in 2023?

A lot has changed over the last 22 years, but the Australian Frequent Flyer Gazette still contains timely travel news, advice and tips! Subscribe to get the latest edition in your email inbox for free each Monday and Thursday.

You can leave a comment on this and other archive content in our AFF Gazette archive discussion thread. Or, if you have another question about travel or loyalty programs in 2023, feel free to post it elsewhere on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum!

Matt Graham

The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 80 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.