Being an Aussie based flyer, almost one-third of my 1585 flights have been with the Australian carrier, Qantas. In addition I have flown every current and past One World carrier! This volume of flights means that I have achieved Qantas Gold for Life status (equivalent to One World Sapphire) in the Qantas Frequent Flyer program. I have also been Qantas Platinum (One World Emerald) for nine of the last ten years (I slipped one year). This status earns me a level of One World Priority benefits, which includes priority check-in, airport lounge access, priority boarding,…
Airline News (Friday)
Category Archives for Airline News (Friday).
A Rank of the Qantas Safety Videos Over the Years
With Qantas dropping a new safety video, I have had a nostalgic journey over some of the previous videos from 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020 and have ranked them below. And where do I rate this year’s safety video? Sorry Qantas. It slides into fourth place. My Ratings of Qantas Previous Videos Ranking Year Theme 1st 2018 Meet the Aussies sharing the spirit of Australia in stunning Australian locales 2nd 2020 Centenary Safety Video 3rd 2016 Showcasing Australia as an amazing place to visit 4th 2024 Fave places around the World 5th 2017 16 locations…
New Qantas Safety Video-is ten minutes too long?
Qantas, known as “The Spirit of Australia” has been around for more than a century, and in that time it has proven itself to be one of the safest and most dependable airlines in the world. The excellent safety record of Qantas is a reflection of the company’s dedication to safety, which is a core value. Qantas pioneered the long storytelling safety video, and they have now produced a number of them. I have loved them all. As a Qantas passenger who has flown them over 470 times earning me Gold for Life Frequent Flier…
Mistakes, Poor Ideas, Terrible Execution – the Airline Collapses of 2023
The year 2023 witnessed fewer collapses of airlines across the globe, than we may have seen previously. The industry is, on the whole, doing very well financially with record numbers of passengers paying higher fares than in the past. From the heart of Mexico to the landscapes of Gangwon State in South Korea or Tahiti in the Pacific, each collapse tells a unique story of challenges and financial woes. This one is interesting because the airline shut down before it even started flying! It was our last closure for 2023! Airlines that merged Buta Airways…
Decoding the Airline Alliances in 2024
I shared last week, that in 2023, I have been around the world five times on 83 flights bringing me to 1580 flights in my lifetime. Over half (46) of my 2023 lights were with one of the airline alliances: These Airline alliances weave an interesting web across the airline industry globe. They allow airlines to expand their local reach and more easily funnel passengers between each other. As a passenger, they allow me to earn points more easily for my “home” airline which make flying easier by allowing me to enjoy the same rewards…
Unpacking the safest airlines in the world
I really enjoyed this recent RankingRoyals visualisation of the top 20 safest airlines in the world according to AirlineRatings.com. This is reproduced with their permission. In coming up with its list, the reviewers at airlineratings.com consider a range of factors, including audits from aviation’s governing and industry bodies; government audits; aircraft crashes and serious incident records; profitability, industry-leading safety initiatives, and fleet age. It’s also important to keep in mind that airline safety ratings are not absolute measures of an airline’s safety record, and different agencies may have different opinions based on their criteria and…
I have flown (and ranked) every One World Member Airline
With my recent hop from Casablanca to Doha, with Royal Maroc Airlines, I have now flown every one of the 13 One World airline members. The One World Alliance was formed in 1999 and includes 13 airlines which carry half a billion passengers a year via 14,000 flights a day. Each airline continues to operate independently but through the Alliance, they “work together to deliver consistently a superior, seamless travel experience“. One World has two major benefits for me. The first is the ability to earn frequent flyers points across the entire alliance. I use…
Vanishing Skies: Airlines that collapsed in 2022
It has been a couple of years since I have been focussed on writing about vanishing airlines. The last couple of years have been a bit crazy, haven’t they? The airline industry in 2022 was marred by a mad scramble to get flights back across the world. For passengers, our experiences have been marked by crowded conditions, lost luggage, massive delays and high airfares. In the midst of that, several carriers went bust. Of the airlines, that ceased in 2022, two were ones I was really sad about (Comair/Kalulua). One had an interesting concept and…
Air Namibia Abruptly Shuts Down
As someone with part of their heart in Africa and a fascination with rail and air transport across that magnificent continent, I was very sad to learn that 75 year old Air Namibia is no more. Today, 636 staff lost their jobs, as the Namibian flag carrier was put into liquidation by it’s only shareholder, the country’s government. The staff will be reportedly paid 12 months salary as severance but receive no benefits. Air Namibia had been advertising Valentine’s Day Specials just two days ago. The website is no longer taking bookings. Four A319-100s, two…
What is happening to Your Favourite Airline? [Updated]
Six months ago, the airline industry was facing a bumper year. While a small number of airlines were struggling, it seemed that most would do well. Take away most of the global passengers because of COVID19, and we have already seen some airlines collapse and we face losing more airlines. Governments have taken very different approaches to their airlines with some offering cash injections or loans with a variety of conditions, some offering nothing and some wanting to nationalise. Company by company, this is what is happening across the globe: Aegean- March 26, Aegean Airlines…
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