The Frequent Flyer Gazette
Monday, 9 April 2018
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| Air NZ Ditches Virgin Australia Alliance |
Air New Zealand has terminated its trans-Tasman alliance with Virgin Australia. The surprise announcement marks the end of an 8-year partnership between the Kiwi carrier and Virgin Australia.
Air New Zealand's alliance with Virgin Australia will end on 28 October 2018. From this date, Virgin Australia customers will no longer be able to book Air New Zealand codeshare flights and will no longer earn Velocity points or status credits on Air New Zealand services. Velocity Frequent Flyer members will also lose access to Air New Zealand's lounges and the ability to redeem Velocity points for Air New Zealand flights. |
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| What's in a Fare Class? |
| A fare class is a letter such as D, Y or Q that is used to identify a particular airfare type. When you book a flight, your fare class is important because it determines the price and flexibility of your ticket, whether you can upgrade, and also the number of points & status credits earned. On any given flight, there are up to four cabin classes sold - First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy. But there may be over a dozen different fare class more... |
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| Virgin Australia Sparks Hong Kong Price War |
| Virgin Australia will begin direct flights from Sydney to Hong Kong from 2 July. To celebrate the new route's launch, cheap flights to Hong Kong are now on sale from just $529 return! Virgin's entry on the Sydney-Hong Kong route is great if you're a Virgin Australia flyer. But it's also good news if you prefer to fly with Qantas or Cathay Pacific because Virgin has added fresh competition to the route. Both Qantas and Cathay Pacific have matched Virgin Australia's more... |
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Upcoming Webinar:
How to Redeem Points to the Americas |
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LAST CHANCE TO REGISTER!
The Americas are one of the most difficult destinations to reach using frequent flyer points - especially in premium cabins. Award availability to North America, South America and Hawaii is extremely limited, making it hard to redeem your frequent flyer points to these sought-after destinations.
The good news is that it's most definitely possible to fly to destinations like Los Angeles, Vancouver, New York, Honolulu and Santiago using frequent flyer points... even in Business class and even during school holidays!
The key is knowing when to book, which frequent flyer programs to use and how to find award availability - including on flights that aren't shown online.
Join Matt at 8pm (AEST) on Wednesday 11 April and learn how to effectively redeem your points to destinations across the Americas. Please note, you must register in advance to attend this webinar.
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| Extra Upgrade Space for Velocity Members |
| It's relatively well-known that the Qantas call centre can release extra reward seats for Platinum frequent flyers. It seems Virgin's call centre staff may also have similar powers to release extra Virgin Australia upgrade space. Platinum Velocity members are entitled to up to four complimentary upgrades from Economy Freedom fares to Business class per year. But these upgrades can only be used if there is Business more... |
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| Pay-per-use Airport Lounges in Singapore |
| There are many airline-operated airport lounges in Singapore, such as the Qantas Singapore Lounge. If you're flying Business class - or hold elite airline status - you probably already enjoy access to at least one of these lounges when flying from Singapore's Changi Airport. Lounge access in Singapore is particularly useful if you're flying to Europe with Singapore Airlines, Qantas or British Airways. It provides more... |
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