Author: Mark

Following on from yesterdays announcement of a strategic alliance with HNA, Virgin Australia has applied to the International Air Service Commission (IASC) to operate daily flights to Hong Kong and Beijing. While calling out the cities of Hong Kong and Beijing, they have declined to state which Australia city they are planning on flying from. The application simply makes reference to in being an Australian gateway city. Under the application, the request for capacity to both cities would be fully utilised by June  1, 2017. According to the application that has been lodged, the daily service to both cities would…

Virgin Australia has announced that China’s largest private airline operator intends to buy a 13 per cent stake in Virgin Australia. The deal worth $159 million, will see China’s HNA eventually grow the stake to 19.99% of Virgin Australia. In addition to the equity stake, Virgin Australia and HNA also announced a strategic alliance, that may see Virgin operate services between Australia and China. To get some idea of the size of the HNA Group, the group controls Hainan – China’s fourth largest airline. It also has investments in other airlines, such as Hong Kong Airlines. The group flies over 77 million passenger a year on 700 routes between 200 destinations…

Last week the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) released three new standards that will have impacts across the credit card system. The new standards are outcomes from an investigation into credit card regulations, with a ‘Conclusions Paper’ being released in conjunction with the three new standards. The three new standards are the result of an investigation into how changes to regulation may improve the efficiency of the payment system. The three main changes are: Changes to the standards to reduce the interchange fees Changes to bring the American Express companion cards under the interchange fee standards Restrictions on surcharges that…

Qantas and Canadian airline Westjet have announced a reciprocal frequent flyer agreement, expanding on their existing code share ralationship. Under the new agreement, members of the Qantas frequent flyer program will be able to earn Qantas Points while travelling on Westjet flights. Likewise, member of the Westjet program will be able to earn WestJet dollars when travelling on Qantas flights. In addition to the ability to earn points on each airlines, Qantas has further announced that from May 25, 2016 Qantas Frequent Flyers will be able to redeem Qantas Points on Qantas code-share flights operated by WestJet. At present, Qantas…

The first independent airport lounge in Australia has opened at Brisbane Airport. The Brisbane Plaza Premium lounge offers a pay for use experience, offering travellers the chance to use the lounge’s facilities, such as  meals, drinks and showers, prior to their international flight. Being a pay for use lounge, it offers travellers that may not otherwise have lounge access the ability to access an airline lounge. 15% off Opening Offer As an opening offer, Plaza Premium is offering a 15% discount on the 5 hour lounge use package,   The promotion is valid for bookings through to the end of June,…

Singapore Airlines  has revealed new Krisflyer redemption charts for awards on the services of Singapore Airlines and SilkAir. Depending on your perspective, the biggest change may be finally announcing Awards for premium economy. In addition, there are changes to streamline the award chart to Europe, which will make some award redemptions more expensive. Premium Economy Singapore Airlines introduced Premium Economy last year, but this has not bee available for Award seats, or upgrade awards. Saver Awards From  24 May, 2016, you will be able to redeem for Premium Economy on Saver Award. A view of the Award Charts shows that…

Virgin Australia has kicked off something of a unique promotion – offering the opportunity for guests over the age of 60 free access to their network of lounges across Australia (with the exception of Adelaide). Access to the lounge will be available between June 1 and August 31. As you’d expect, there ara a range of conditions that need to be met in order to gain access to the lounge. So, this is what you will need to do: You will need to make a booking for a Virgin Australia flight by midnight May 16. During the booking process, you…

Hilton HHonors are running a systemwide promotion offering double points when staying at Hilton HHonors properties between May 1 and August 31, 2016. The promotion, entitled ‘Unlimited Bonus’, has no limitations on the number of bonus points that can be earned during the promotion period. In common with most promotions of this type, registration for this promotion is required. To be eligible to gain the bonus points for a stay, registration will be required prior to check out for that stay. In addition to unlimited bonus Hilton HHonors points, members of Hilton HHonors have reported being made additional personalised offers when…

OneWorld partner Malaysia Airlines has unveiled a new design for its Golden Lounge offerings in Kuala Lumpur and London. Malaysia Airlines had previously flagged an update to the lounges as part of a review into its operations. This review previously saw lounges in Perth and Singapore close. Malaysia Airlines’ Chief Commercial Officer, Paul Simmons said, “Delivering a holistic experience for our guests which starts from the lounge lies at the heart of the redesign. We want the space to encapsulate the richness of travel with the airline, a luxurious contemporary Malaysian style that our guests will be able to experience when they…

Last year. AccorHotels announced that it was going to allow a number of independent hotels to use its booking system. The ‘marketplace’, as AccorHotels calls it, was setup to allow independent hotels to leverage the AccorHotels distribution network. The rollout has now extended to over 500 hotels, including hotels in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. While the partner hotels do not participate in the Le Club Accorhotels program, you may be able to earn points while staying at a partner hotel booked through AccorHotels channels. However, while there are 500 hotels in the AccorHotels distribution network there are far fewer that…