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With VA flights now earning 1 status credit per $12 spent (except on Economy Lite), I guess the game now will be to work out how many SC you need and just find something that costs more than the amount you need, minus one, and multiplied by 12. (Since the SC earn is rounded up to the next $12.)...

I do wonder what the long term future holds for some of these smaller regional operators that use aircraft types that are no longer being built, and don't really have like-for-like replacements. I'm thinking of airlines using (for example) the Saab 340, Metroliners or BAe Jetstream turboprops...

Well, I'm currently one of just two guests in an airport lounge at BJL. There has been loud music for the last hour... coming from the phone of the staff member manning the front desk. 🤷‍♂️ It drowns out the chirping noises coming from the other end of the lounge, I guess. At first I thought...

Fair enough - I did check Smartraveller but somehow missed this!

Currently in The Gambia and pretty much nobody accepts cards. Only in the major hotels or the airport, and there is a 4% card payment surcharge where I’m staying. Basically, you need cash. Most of the ATMs inside Banjul airport didn’t work either. But in town/near the beaches where most...

I've also been on an overnight Qantas flight in J where I planned to sleep but couldn't because a baby across the aisle cried all night. The crew and parents were trying to calm the baby down, but nothing worked. Although I was tired and cranky the next day, I just had to accept that it's a risk...

Another obvious example of the modernisation of Saudi Arabia's capital city is Boulevard City, a nighttime entertainment venue with lots of shops, restaurants, games, attractions and exhibitions, and the nearby amusement park called Boulevard World. Boulevard City is open until 4am every night...

There's a lot of construction going on around Riyadh. It looks like the government is investing a lot in new infrastructure and the modernisation of the city. Riyadh is already a big city, with lots of modern buildings, skyscrapers and grandiose structures with bright lights. The big...

The final stop, on the way back to Riyadh, was for dinner. It was a cool setting, but I think they put too much attention into the decor, which could have been redirected back into the food. 😉 One of the other things I enjoyed about this tour was just chatting with the other tour...

The edge of the world was the real highlight of this tour. We got there just before sunset, and the views were spectacular. The guide told us to be back at the bus within 45 minutes, but we ended up spending double that amount of time at this stop. That's probably a good thing, as we needed all...

On my first full day in Riyadh, I joined a tour to the "Edge of the world". This is a huge canyon with a cliff more than 1km high located at the end of the Tuwaik mountain range, around a 100km drive from Riyadh. I booked this tour through Viator at a cost of just under $100 for the day trip...

I contacted both Hilton and Qantas to try to get this sorted. Both replied and said they would look into it, but didn't actually fix the issue. In the end, what worked was contacting [email protected] with screenshots etc. The missing 1,350 Qantas points posted today. Hilton and Qantas...

There's an additional offer on now if you apply by 31/5/25 and choose SAA Voyager as your status airline. You get 30,000 bonus Voyager miles and a companion Star Alliance Gold membership: https://www.flysaa.com/web/voyager/saa-voyager-promotion Here's the fine print on the companion Gold status:

Good pickup. Qantas said at its latest investor day that it would send its passengers to the Emirates lounge, but there were no further details. I'll try to get clarity, in the meantime probably best if that discussion continues in the Auckland lounge thread rather than here. :)

I tried to redeem a gift voucher today. Went to the Qantas website, selected the flight I wanted and then got an error message (3006). So, I called Qantas and got this simple one-way flight booked over the phone. Took about 20 minutes. Then tried to select a seat and got these messages...

I think ET just got its facts wrong on this one. The IASC application clearly says Jetstar. 🤷‍♂️

They're sending everyone to the Emirates Lounge though. Honestly, it's an upgrade!

There are some legitimate circumstances where some people might make multiple hotel bookings for themself on the same night. E.g. you're taking a short redeye flight during the night, and you want to use the hotel at your origin until midnight and be able to check in at your destination when you...

It is confirmed. Fiji Airways has been telling travel agents and other industry folks that they will join as of 31 March 2025. I wasn't joking in my post above, despite the inadvertent April Fools reference.

No doubt, but if Qantas changes the aircraft on you from an A330 to a 737 they don't compensate as they say it's the same product ;)