Episodes
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Thank you to our loyal listeners + introducing the new Travel Pointers podcast! – AIR103
After more than 100 episodes, we’re calling time on the AFF on Air podcast. But it’s not all bad news! Australian Frequent Flyer editor Matt Graham will now co-host a brand new Australian travel podcast called Travel Pointers. He’ll be joined on this brand new podcast by Point Hacks news editor...
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Airline Alliances with Mark Ross-Smith – AIR102
Have you ever wondered how airline alliances or hotel loyalty programs work behind the scenes? In this episode, Matt is joined by an expert in loyalty programs, former Malaysia Airlines Enrich CEO and current StatusMatch.com CEO Mark Ross-Smith for a chat about the world of airline alliances.…
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Tonga’s First Female Airline Pilot – AIR101
Matt sits down for an extended interview by Silva McLeod, Tonga’s first ever female airline pilot. After flying for Royal Tongan Airlines, Silva went on to fly in Auatralia for Aeropelican, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and ultimately Virgin Blue, which became Virgin Australia. But the journey...
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The History of AFF – AIR100
It’s our 100th episode! To celebrate, we’re taking a look back at the history of Australian Frequent Flyer forum, which this year will turn 25 years old. This episode features interviews with AFF’s founder Clifford Reichlin and one of the original forum moderators, Lindsay Wilson (QF WP). Today,...
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Bonza Launches Flights in Australia + Qantas Double Status Credits – AIR099
The AFF on Air podcast is back! While we were taking a summer break, a brand new airline called Bonza launched flights in the Australian market. In this episode, Matt chats to the CEO of Bonza Tim Jordan to find out what’s involved in starting a new airline in Australia, how the launch has been...
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Where’s All The Award Availability? – AIR098
Struggling to redeem your frequent flyer points for flights? Matt chats to James Green from Award Flight Assist about the current situation with Qantas, Virgin Australia and Singapore Airlines award availability out of Australia. If you want to redeem your frequent flyer points to book an…
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Air Canada’s Underrated Frequent Flyer Program – AIR097
In this episode, find out why Air Canada’s Aeroplan program deserves more attention from Australian frequent flyers! Plus, learn how to supercharge your Coles Flybuys and Woolworths Everyday Rewards points. Episode contents: 0:59 – Fortnightly news round-up 12:43 – Air Canada’s Aeroplan program...
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49 Years in the Cockpit – AIR096
In the episode, Matt chats to Ron Haack, a recently retired pilot. Ron began his career in the Royal Australian Air Force and then flew for Qantas for 24 years, flying Airbus A330s and Boeing 747-400s. Episode contents: 0:55 – Fortnightly news round-up 8:48 – Interview with Ron Haack 34:00 –...
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Qatar Airways Qsuites & Avios Subscriptions – AIR095
British Airways Executive Club recently began selling subscriptions to receive a monthly allotment of Avios (the airline’s loyalty program currency) at discounted prices. This could offer surprisingly good value to Australians when using those Avios to book Qantas domestic flights or Qatar…
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Amazing Airline Award Chart Loopholes – AIR094
Learn why airline award charts are the key to maximising your frequent flyer points, as Matt shares some of the most incredible frequent flyer redemptions he’s seen during his years of covering and using points. Plus, COVID-19 travel restrictions are coming down across northern Asia as Japan,...
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The Amex-Marriott Bonvoy Transfer Trick – AIR093
If you want to use your points to book an international Business or First Class flight, often the hardest part is just finding award availability. But if you have American Express Membership Rewards points, there’s a great hack that can give you access to award seats across more than 30 different...
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The Singapore Airlines Round-the-World Award – AIR092
The Star Alliance Round-the-World Award offered by Singapore Airlines' KrisFlyer program is a great deal. For just 280,000 KrisFlyer miles, plus taxes of course, you could fly around the world with up to 7 stopovers across the Star Alliance network! But booking one of these does take a bit of…
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Tools to Make International Travel Easier – AIR091
In this episode, Matt takes a close look at two different tools and resources that can make your international travel easier in 2022. The first tool is Apple AirTags, which can help if an airline loses your luggage. Another is Sherpa, a website with easy-to-read, up-to-date information on where…
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So You Want to Use Qantas Points to Europe… – AIR090
Over the coming months, many Qantas points collectors will attempt to redeem their points for Business Class flights to Europe during next year's peak northern hemisphere summer season. It's a great redemption... if you can get it. That's where the problems start... In this episode, James Green...
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Bye-Bye LifeMiles, Hello Aeroplan? – AIR089
Has the Avianca LifeMiles program lost its shine? Buying LifeMiles during their promotions used to be a popular way of saving money on Star Alliance Business and First class flights, but using them on flights from Australia has become very difficult indeed. In this episode, find out why Air...
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Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Changes of 2022 – AIR088
In this episode, Matt is joined by Aaron Wong, the founder of the Singapore-based frequent flyer blog Milelion, for a chat about the recent changes to the Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer program. The discussion then continues onto other KrisFlyer-related topics including waitlisting for KrisFlyer...
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Getting an Airline Status Match – AIR087
In this episode, Matt is joined by co-founder of StatusMatch.com and former head of the Malaysia Airlines Enrich loyalty program Mark Ross-Smith for a behind the scenes look at the world of airline status matching. Learn about why airlines offer status matches, how you can get one, and more!...
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Cheap Round-the-World Fares in 2022 – AIR086
If you've been looking at international airfares recently, you've probably noticed that they're getting quite expensive at the moment. But if you're planning to visit multiple countries or continents on the same trip, there are some great value round-the-world airfares offered by specific…
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When Should Loyalty Programs Stop Extending Status? – AIR085
In this episode, loyalty program expert David Feldman is back for another chat about airline & hotel loyalty programs! This extended interview covers topics including COVID-19 status extensions, the "golden handcuff" effect, recent changes to hotel loyalty programs, why Qantas could be risking...
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Redeeming Points to North America – AIR084
In this episode, learn how to redeem frequent flyer points to travel from Australia to North America in style! Matt explains the options when using Qantas or Velocity points, and chats to Leon Loganathan, a frequent flyer who recently flew to Mexico via the USA in Qantas Business and First Class...
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Travelling to Argentina in 2022 – AIR083
Redeeming Qantas Frequent Flyer points to get to South America is hard enough at normal times, but it's even more difficult when all direct flights between the two continents have been suspended! Gus Higgins flew from Australia to Argentina in February 2022 on a Oneworld Classic Flight Reward...
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Berlin’s Surprisingly Functional New Airport – AIR082
Opening 9 years behind schedule, the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport in Germany became the subject of many jokes due to the ridiculous problems that plagued its construction. But now that it's open, what's it actually like to fly out of BER Airport? Matt recently found out and shares his…
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Finding Award Availability for a Whole Family – AIR081
Redeeming frequent flyer points for an international flight in Business Class can be hard enough if you just want one or two seats. But what if you want to take your whole family on holiday? Peter Fryar is one of the award travel consultants at Frequent Flyer Solutions, AFF’s sister website. As...
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Southeast Asia Welcomes Back Tourists – AIR080
So far this year on the AFF on Air podcast, Matt has spoken to Australians who recently travelled to Canada, Fiji and the UK during this post-COVID era of international travel. In this episode, Matt talks to Ben Bartlett, an Australian who recently visited Thailand and the Philippines for a...
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Loyalty Learnings from a 25+ Year Career – AIR079
Phil Hawkins has worked in loyalty programs for 25 years, and was most recently the Chief Operating Officer at Flybuys in Australia. In this episode, Matt chats to Phil about some of the things he's learned during his career in loyalty. Find out what happens behind the scenes, what makes a good…
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Travelling to the UK in 2022 – AIR078
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...
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Getting COVID in Fiji – AIR077
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…
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Is Overseas Travel in 2022 Really That Scary? – AIR076
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...
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How to Upgrade on Qantas & Virgin – AIR075
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…
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Post-Pandemic Award Travel – AIR074
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…
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Qantas Lifetime Platinum Status – AIR073
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,...
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Bonza: Australia’s Newest Airline – AIR072
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...
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NSW Ends Quarantine – AIR071
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…
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Australia Reopening International Borders – AIR070
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...
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Singapore Airlines on Operating to Australia in the Pandemic – AIR069
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…
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Light at the End of the Tunnel? – AIR068
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…
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What’s Hotel Quarantine Like in Australia? – AIR067
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…
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EU261 Claims Cost Finnair Passengers Thousands – AIR066
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...
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Loyalty Programs: Behind the Scenes – AIR065
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...
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CHOICE’s Plan to Fix the Travel Cancellation Chaos – AIR064
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…
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Travelling from Australia During COVID-19 (Part Two) – AIR063
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...
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Travelling to Australia During COVID-19 (Part One) – AIR062
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...
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Frequent Flyer Points & FBT – AIR061
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…
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Can You Fly to Australia on Points During COVID-19? – AIR060
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...
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Flying to New Zealand in 2021 – AIR059
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)...
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Trans-Tasman Travel Bubble Opens – AIR058
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…
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800,000 Half-Price Domestic Flights – AIR057
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...
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The Pandemic’s One-Year Anniversary – AIR056
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...
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The Alice Springs “Plane Graveyard” – AIR055
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,...
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How to Fly to Australia Without Getting “Bumped” – AIR054
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…
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