AFF on Air Discussion thread

frequent passport user said:
Sorry for such a long question!
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No problem. I'll have a crack at answering as best I can in a future episode, expanding on the info given by @NZflygirl.

NZflygirl said:
Uh... I suspect etiquette might dictate I shouldn't comment in this thread but just wanted to add 2c?:oops:
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I don't mind, but in future it might be best if we start a new thread so as not to send this one off-topic. ;)
 
Hi Matt,

Firstly, I'd like to say the podcasts are great. I've never really listened to podcasts before but it's a great improvement on scrolling through at a small screen on the way home!

My question is around some of the terms used by airlines when booking flights. I've recently booked some rewards flights with SQ and have phoned their call centre to get sectors put on hold while waiting for the next sector to be released. It all went well but I've realised that there are a few terms that have specific meanings in the flight booking world. Could you have a talk through some of the common terms and their meanings and especially the implications of them?

More specifically, terms like: Reserved, On Hold, Waitlist, Ticketed, Confirmed, etc and importantly, when does a request (e.g. on hold) become a firm commitment to buy (e.g. ticketed) and hence incur fees and charges to change or cancel.

Much appreciated,

Andy
 
Hi Matt,

My question is what is your favourite tool for finding award availability?

I find the biggest challenge finding award seats and am on the fence if I should by a subscription to Expert Flyer to make this easier, or perhaps some other tool?

Would love to hear your inside tips for finding award seats.

Looking forward to hearing more episodes when they are released. :)

Thanks!
 
Hi Matt,

Love the podcast! Your have a perfect podcasting voice and are very pleasant to listen to. I like the combination of starting with news and then focusing on one topic in a little depth. I also enjoyed the interview with Clifford and to hear the history of AFF.

If I can give some feedback as a previous podcaster myself, I think it's good to promote your FFS service in the podcast, but the ad is poor quality. The sound quality drops when Clifford speaks (he should be of equal or better quality to the presenter), plus the script is pretty weak. He doesn't really explain what FFS is and what the benefits are.

I think the podcast would be a great platform for growing that part of the business with ads that are more polished.

Another point is it isn't really clear where the show notes are. Are they on AFF or somewhere else?

My 2 cents. :)

Good luck with it!
 
Melburnian1 said:
The first episode was very good. A subjective opinion, but I suggest 15 or 20 minutes is an ideal length.
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We're working on the length. Generally I expect episodes to be 20-30 minutes as this is the average commute time for most people going to/from work. But they could be longer or shorter depending on how much I have to talk about each fortnight!

goldenhorn said:
Hi Matt,

Love the podcast! Your have a perfect podcasting voice and are very pleasant to listen to. I like the combination of starting with news and then focusing on one topic in a little depth. I also enjoyed the interview with Clifford and to hear the history of AFF.

If I can give some feedback as a previous podcaster myself, I think it's good to promote your FFS service in the podcast, but the ad is poor quality. The sound quality drops when Clifford speaks (he should be of equal or better quality to the presenter), plus the script is pretty weak. He doesn't really explain what FFS is and what the benefits are.

I think the podcast would be a great platform for growing that part of the business with ads that are more polished.

Another point is it isn't really clear where the show notes are. Are they on AFF or somewhere else?

My 2 cents. :)

Good luck with it!
Click to expand...

Thanks very much for the feedback.

The episode notes should be available through Apple Podcasts or wherever else you're listening. Failing that, they are also available on the individual AFF page for each episode. These pages are available here: AFF on Air Tips, Tricks and Chat | Australian Frequent Flyer
 
I have just finished listing to the first 2 podcasts and totally loved them. I think the 30 minute length is just right, the 20 with subject then the 10 answering questions was great. I listen in the car while driving then if there is something I am really interested in I listen to that again at work.

Keep up the good work.
 
Hi Matt (aka the guru :) Another question... It's sort of linked to that asked by @goldenhorn

Thanks for answering my earlier questions, by the way, it is appreciated.

Is Expert flyer (or another frequent flyer search application) worth the subscription? Also, are they intuitive and relatively easy to use? Is one better than another?

I use points a couple of times a year to try and get those hard to find long haul business class seats. I don't think I would honestly get the value, but it would save me time and a fair bit of frustration. I guess it would also rob me of the sense of achievement of finding some of those seats that with some airlines (not all though) are as rare as hen's teeth though....
 
Hi Matt.

Thank you for doing a great job on the AFF podcast.

Quick question, I'm flying on JQ025 from Melbourne to Cairns and note it departs the International Terminal. Do I need a passport, clear customs, etc.?

Thank you.

Mike
 
Hi Matt,

Hoping this isn't a silly question for you, I really can't seem to work it out! I got a seat alert from expert flyer for an available Z seat on VA7, which I was surprised because I hear they are like hens teeth. When I went through to my booking, only waitlist to upgrade was available. I attempted also checking by doing a direct reward booking on Virgin's website and that showed no reward flights. Expert flyers status stayed on Yes for a Z seat for nearly 2 weeks. I've gone back to check expert flyer today and it's showing as no Z seats available anymore, however the seating map hasn't changed.

I'm missing something?

I guess my question is, how would this be explained? Is it possible the Z availability is assigned to waitlists and the waitlisted aren't told of their success until closer to the flight?

Apologies if this is explained elsewhere!
 
I just listened to episode 6 on my JQ flight from MEL to OOL last night. I'm really enjoying the show and every episode is interesting. I'm always happy to see when a new episode is announced.

I was amused to hear in the interview with QF WP that he mentioned Spokane as a favourite destination. Mrs Revenge and I stopped there for a few nights on our honeymoon in September and we were really impressed! We enjoyed our stay!

On a constructive note, I would welcome if the podcast interviews were done with better recording equipment. The quality of the interviews sound poor compared to Matt's commentary during the rest of the show.
 
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Revenge said:
I just listened to episode 6 on my JQ flight from MEL to OOL last night. I'm really enjoying the show and every episode is interesting. I'm always happy to see when a new episode is announced.

I was amused to hear in the interview with QF WP that he mentioned Spokane as a favourite destination. Mrs Revenge and I stopped there for a few nights on our honeymoon in September and we were really impressed! We enjoyed our stay!

On a constructive note, I would welcome if the podcast interviews were done with better recording equipment. The quality of the interviews sound poor compared to Matt's commentary during the rest of the show.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the feedback. We're working on the sound quality of the interviews and, although I don't yet have a perfect solution, it should be a little better in the most recent couple of episodes.
 
Really enjoying the EPS! Keep it up.
Found ep9 really interesting with all the different talk about some of the FF programs and which combo suits where
 
great ep10 Matt!
Any equivalents for Virgin? similar to how you book Qantas with BA Avios in this ep?
 
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