AFF on AIR Podcast

  AFF on Air continues with its series of podcasts looking at what it’s like travelling to different destinations around the world as international borders open up again. In this episode, Matt speaks to two Australian frequent flyers who recently travelled to the UK. One of them flew to London with Qantas via Darwin, while the other flew with Japan Airlines via Tokyo. Unfortunately, one of th...

  Many Australians are understandably a bit wary of travelling overseas at the moment in case they catch COVID-19 while they’re away. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happened to Australian Frequent Flyer forum moderator Bill MacCubbin (whose AFF username is “straitman”) on a recent trip to Fiji. But it wasn’t really a horror story at all – Bill recovered quic...

  Although many Australians would like to travel overseas over the coming year, many are holding off for now. That’s totally understandable – there are still so many unknowns and risks involved with overseas travel in 2022. But is it really that  scary out there? For those who’ve been stuck inside Australia for the past two years, it can be difficult to imagine what life is...

  In the final AFF on Air podcast episode for 2021, Matt is joined by the owner of Australian Frequent Flyer Clifford Reichlin for a chat about the challenges of running a travel website during a pandemic – when nobody can travel. Also in this episode, how to get an upgrade when flying with Qantas or Virgin Australia, and a potentially clever hack to get two free nights at Accor hotels....

  As the international border reopens, some Australians are starting to book overseas trips using their frequent flyer points. But post-pandemic award travel is a bit different – the pandemic has turned award availability on its head, and Australians are also using their points to travel to different places than before. In this episode, Matt chats to James Green from Frequent Flyer Solu...

In this episode, Matt chats to frequent flyer and lifetime Qantas Platinum member Chris Gibbs about how he managed to earn well over 100,000 lifetime status credits on Qantas, what he learned along the way and his thoughts on the future of business travel after the pandemic. Also in this episode, international travel insurance options that cover COVID-19 and Matt shares his experience of flying to...

  Bonza is a new Australian start-up airline with big plans to carve its own niche out of the Australian domestic aviation market when it launches in the second quarter of 2022. Operating a small fleet of Boeing 737-MAX 8s with 186 Economy seats each, Bonza won’t be competing with Qantas and Virgin for business travellers. Instead, it plans to stimulate demand for leisure travel on new routes...

  Yesterday, NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet announced some big news: From 1 November 2021, vaccinated Australians will finally be allowed to leave the country, and return from overseas into NSW without having to quarantine. There’s a lot to unpack from this announcement. Joining Matt to do so on this episode of AFF on AIR is travel agent and regular podcast guest Alan Lam from Netwave Tr...

  The Australian government has announced that international border restrictions will start to be relaxed from next month. In this podcast, Matt explains what we do and don’t know so far about the new border arrangements and how Qantas plans to restart international flights from November – a month ahead of schedule. Also in this episode, learn about Virgin Australia’s new bo...

  Many previous episodes of the AFF on Air podcast have explored the difficulty of getting back to Australia during the pandemic. Navigating the current system is clearly a nightmare for travellers. In this episode, we’ll get an airline’s perspective. Karl Schubert is the Public Relations Manager for Singapore Airlines in the South West Pacific region, and he joined Matt for a chat about the...

  Returning to Australia over the coming few months is likely to be as hard as it’s ever been during this pandemic. But there is light at the end of the tunnel! Australia is on track to ease some international travel restrictions and introduce home quarantine for some vaccinated travellers by the end of this year. This episode features an interview with travel agent Alan Lam about inter...

  Matt talks to an Australian Frequent Flyer member currently nearing the end of 14 days of hotel quarantine at the Marriott Hotel in Brisbane. And Qantas Frequent Flyer gives another round of 12-month tier status extensions.   Episode contents: 1:00 – Fortnightly news round-up 10:18 – Qantas Frequent Flyer’s latest round of status extensions 17:33 – Interview wit...

  There are countless claim agencies in the European Union that specialise in pursuing airlines for compensation owed under the EC261/2004 regulation. Their promise is simple: They’ll chase up airlines for money owed under EU laws for flight delays, cancellations and instances of overbooking on behalf of airline passengers who lack the time or expertise to do it themselves. If they are...

    Ever wondered what the people designing loyalty programs are thinking? For example, why do points expire so quickly? Are all airlines just trying to devalue your points? And what role do loyalty programs play in helping airlines out of the pandemic? Find out this and lots more in this episode, as loyalty program expert David Feldman from New World Loyalty joins Matt for an extended i...

  Earlier this year, consumer group CHOICE surveyed more than 4,000 Australians whose travel plans were disrupted by COVID-19. This week, CHOICE published its findings in a report called Consumer protection for Australian travellers: a plan for clarity, consistency and fairness. And the findings are pretty damning for the travel industry. Many complained that it was far too difficult to get a...

  Departing Australia in 2021 is unfortunately not as simple as booking a ticket and going to the airport. If you’re an Australian citizen or permanent resident who normally lives in Australia, you’ll firstly need to apply for an exemption from the Department of Home Affairs to even be allowed to exit Australia. You’ll then need to navigate complex COVID-19 testing requireme...

  With Australia’s international border still closed (except to New Zealand), and restrictive international arrival caps still in place, flying to Australia during the COVID-19 pandemic sadly remains a huge challenge. In this episode, travel agent Alan Lam from Netwave Travel returns to the podcast to give an update on how to maximise your chances of successfully booking a flight to Aus...

  Business rewards programs such as Qantas Business Rewards have become increasingly popular. With Qantas Business Rewards, points are earned by the business and can then be transferred to anyone including employees. But does this have any Fringe Benefits Tax (FBT) implications? Also in this episode, Matt gives an update on the trans-Tasman travel bubble and explains how you could renew Virgi...

  Over the past year, flying back to Australia has been very difficult for tens of thousands of Australians – some who are still stuck overseas. Many have been bumped off their flights due to the Australian government’s restrictive arrival caps. Even some passengers on expensive paid airfares have been kicked off their flights. So, clearly trying to fly from Europe to Australia du...

  The trans-Tasman travel bubble between Australia and New Zealand is now well and truly open, and thousands of Aussies have already flocked to New Zealand to take advantage of it. In this episode, Matt chats to Alan Lam from Netwave Travel (a.k.a. madrooster on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum) about the bubble and what you need to know before travelling to New Zealand right now. You can...

  The long-awaited trans-Tasman travel bubble is finally here, with quarantine-free travel in both directions between Australia and New Zealand starting on Monday, 19 April! To celebrate the occasion, Qantas is reopening its flagship international First Class lounges in Sydney and Melbourne from the same date – and even Qantas Club, Gold members and Business class passengers will have a...

  Last Thursday, 800,000 half-price domestic flights went on sale as part of the federal government’s push to get more Australians to holiday at home. In this epsisode, find out how to book one of the discounted flights to 15 Australian regional destinations, and what catches to look out for. This episode also features an interview with Sam Heathfield (a.k.a. “support” and &...

  It’s exactly one year today since Tasmania became the first Australian state to close its border to interstate travel. Since then, there have been endless state border closures and changes to interstate travel restrictions. But thankfully, as of last Monday, all domestic borders in Australia are now open again for the first time since March 2020. Things are now looking up! On this one...

  Visitors to Alice Springs, a town in Australia’s red centre, have been greeted by an unusual sight since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The town is also now the temporary home of Singapore Airlines A380s, Cathay Pacific 777s, and many other airliners grounded by the pandemic. In total, there are now around 150 planes parked beside Alice Springs Airport at the Asia Pacific Air...

  With the Australian government’s international arrival caps still in place, getting back to Australia from overseas remains a huge challenge. In this episode, travel agent Alan Lam (a.k.a. madrooster on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum) shares his tips and advice for Australians trying to return home without getting bumped from their flight. Also in this episode, how to earn full p...