2PAXfly
KOALA AIRLINES: Not a domestic airline, but an international charter feeder
Koala Airlines has finally revealed something resembling a business model. Strangely, although a huge pivot, it may make more sense than the previous collection of promises, aircraft renderings and mysterious non-statements. Rather than confronting Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia across Australia’s major domestic routes, Koala now proposes operating charter flights...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Ex CEO Alan Joyce boards his reputational rescue flight with ‘Riding the Jet Stream’
Former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has published Alan Joyce: Riding the Jet Stream. It’s a 464-page attempt to explain how he became one of Australia’s most successful corporate leaders. And, by the end, one of its least popular. Published by Hardie Grant today (28 July 2026), the memoir follows...
2PAXfly
QATAR AIRWAYS: takes Qsuites to Auckland, New Zealand, via Melbourne and Brisbane. New way to cross the Tasman
Qatar Airways is preparing to reshuffle its Auckland service through Australia, ending the fifth-freedom flights via Adelaide and creating two new daily trans-Tasman options, but not at the same time. The via Adelaide flights to Auckland will cease on 16 September 2026. From December 2026, the airline will extend its...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 26 July, 2026
Hello travellers, Greetings from Sydney! I’ve had a very comforting week at home. The first few instalments of the Oh Canada! Trip reports have started dropping, including my experience checking in at the Qantas First Counter in Sydney and my flight on a Dreamliner to Vancouver. What happened last week? Qantas has...
Also on BoardingArea
2PAXfly
KOALA AIRLINES: Not a domestic airline, but an international charter feeder
Koala Airlines has finally revealed something resembling a business model. Strangely, although a huge pivot, it may make more sense than the previous collection of promises, aircraft renderings and mysterious non-statements. Rather than confronting Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia across Australia’s major domestic routes, Koala now proposes operating charter flights...
Points With a Crew
Save Up to 50% on Amazon with Amex Rewards Dollars (Targeted)
We’ve written about this deal before but it appears to be back! It appears to be targeted but if so, it seems widely targeted. Save 30% on Amazon, up to $30 in savings (offers vary), when you you purchase eligible products and use at least 1 cent in Amex Reward...
Frequent Miler
Alaska/Hawaiian: Visit Rarotonga (Cook Islands) with a layover in Hawaii for $350 or 23K Amex Points
A couple of days ago, I saw a note from The Flight Deal saying that round-trip flights from San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX) to Rarotonga could be had at the beginning of 2027 for as low as $660, a great deal for such a remote destination. Poking around...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
What Are the Most — and Least — Peaceful Countries in the World?
Peace is defined as a type of freedom: freedom from unnecessary stress, strife, hostility, disturbance, war, violence or civil disorder; and a utopia of quiet, tranquility, harmony, serenity and security... ...so which countries set the best — and worst — examples of the definition of peace? According to...
Frequent Miler
Get up to $100 back on every eligible card through Paze (many Discover cards added, Macy’s now an option)
Update 7/30: Doctor of Credit reports that Discover cards, which have been moved to Capitalone.com, are now showing as eligible for this promotion. In addition, Paze is now an option for checkout at macys.com, so get those single sock purchases ready to go, people. ~~~~ If the recent promotion to earn...
Your Mileage May Vary
A New Airport Just Broke Into America’s 10 Busiest
Every year, millions upon millions of passengers pass through America’s airports, but some handle far more travelers than others. To track those numbers, Airports Council International–North America (ACI-NA) publishes annual…
Miles To Memories
Don’t Get Shut Down: What Actually Triggers It, Plus a Wide Open Sweet Spot & Hilton Owner Giveaway
Hilton's big gift to owners, Chase shuts down more accounts, a very cool new flight search tool & how to avoid getting shutdown.
Frequent Miler
Melio: Pay business bills by credit card ($230 welcome offer)
Melio is a service intended to simplify paying business bills. Melio lets you pay bills with a credit or debit card for a 2.9% fee, or for free with bank-to-bank ACH transfers. Melio users can pay vendors via whichever method they prefer (e.g., ACH for free up to 5 times...
View from the Wing
Marriott Plans To Reward AI Travel Agents As It Fights To Control Your Hotel Bookings
Marriott is building its own AI search, working with Google and OpenAI, and its CEO says “stay tuned” for rewarding AI agents. It's an outstanding question who controls the stay recommendation, and how Bonvoy benefits survive the handoff.
Frequent Miler
Earn 100K points with new Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card offer (still available via referral)
Update 7/30: Although the public links have all decreased to 75K, the increased 100,000-point offer for the Chase Sapphire Preferred® card is still available via referral. We have no idea how long that will last, but we will have a referral link on our Best Offers page as long as...
Frequent Flyer Bonuses
GHA DISCOVERY: D$5 Bonus for every stay booked via the GHA DISCOVERY app (July 30 Bonus Offer Highlight)
Today’s bonus offer highlight is the extension of GHA DISCOVERY's app booking bonus where all app bookings earn a D$5 bonus. Check out all of the new bonuses added today:
Your Mileage May Vary
JetBlue Wants The LaGuardia Terminal New Yorkers Actually Liked
JetBlue just won a valuable collection of Spirit Airlines’ former flight slots at LaGuardia Airport. Now the airline is considering another move that would bring it back to where its…
Frequent Miler
American Airlines limits 24-hour refunds to tickets booked 7 days out
View from the Wing has sussed out an irritating change to American Airlines’ refund policy that appears to have been quietly implemented overnight. By law, US carriers are required to give customers a full refund if they cancel their ticket within 24 hours of booking. However, that law only applies...
Frequent Flyer Bonuses
Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards: Receive up to a 100% bonus when you buy points
The next buy points bonus for Alaska Airlines new Atmos Rewards program is here and it’s a decent one. This bonus awards up to 100% more points until Aug 20, 2026. This is a mystery bonus where the maximum bonus amount is revealed after you log in. Personally I got...
One Mile at a Time
Ink Cash Vs. Ink Unlimited: How I’d Choose Between Chase’s No Annual Fee Business Cards
Chase offers two no annual fee cards in its excellent collection of Ink business cards: the Ink Business Cash Credit Card and the Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card. On paper the two look nearly identical, with the same annual fee (none), the same excellent welcome bonus, and the same trick...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Qatar Airways Passengers Flying to New York JFK Can Now Skip Baggage Recheck For Connecting Flights… Here’s Why
Passengers flying with Qatar Airways to New York JFK will no longer have to collect their baggage at the carousel and clear customs before immediately rechecking it for an onward flight, as Customs and Border Protection (CBP) continues to expand its ‘remote screening’ initiative. Unlike in many countries, passengers arriving...
Monkey Miles
American Express® Gold Card As high as 100k referral page
Check out what reader referral or one of our reader's referrals to the new American Express Gold Card
Miles To Memories
Last Chance To Lock In CardPointers’ Valuable Service For Half Off!
There is a great deal going on right now with this CardPointers 50% off sale. Reminder that this one is set to end tonight!
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Earn Up to 2,500 Bonus AAdvantage Miles by Shopping for Back to School
Effective through Saturday, August 8, 2026 at 11:59:59 in the evening Eastern Daylight Time, you can earn up to 2,500 bonus American Airlines AAdvantage miles — in addition to the standard AAdvantage miles earned — during the Back to School Bonus campaign at the AAdvantage Shopping portal by spending the...
Monkey Miles
American Express Platinum Card® as high as 175k referral page
American Express Platinum Referral Offer - leave you links so you can earn referral points as well
Frequent Miler
Marriott Homes & Villas Amex Offer: Spend $1K and get $350 back
There’s a new Marriott Homes & Villas Amex Offer out, which gives $350 back when you spend $1,000 or more on one or more reservations. The Deal Spend $1,000+ in one or more transactions with Marriott Homes & Villas and get $350 back with an Amex Offer. Expires 9/30/26 Key...
The Bulkhead Seat
Tampa International Airport Sparks Social Media Debate With Playful Crocs Ban Post
I spend winters in Florida and Tampa International Airport (TPA) is one of my…
View from the Wing
SFO Is Getting Private Bedrooms, Showers And A Speakeasy Lounge—Here’s What Travelers Will Actually Get
SFO has approved private bedrooms, showers and a speakeasy-style lounge for Terminal 1 and Terminal 3. The lease reveals a much smaller, room-centered lounge than headlines suggest—and a $44.6 million five-year revenue bet after Hotelzo beat Plaza Premium’s Aerotel.
The Bulkhead Seat
American Airlines Tightens 24-Hour Refund Policy for Last-Minute Bookings
American Airlines has revised its 24-hour refund policy and eliminated a customer-friendly exception that…
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Project Sunrise A350 reaches Melbourne Australia after 19-hour test flight
Qantas’ Project Sunrise aircraft has touched Australian soil for the first time, completing a marathon non-stop test flight from Toulouse to Melbourne. The specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR landed at Melbourne Airport at about 10.46am on Friday, 24 July, after spending 19 hours and 13 minutes in the air. The aircraft...
Wild About Travel
Fargo: Wide, Weird, and Way Better Than You Think
I came expecting a dull, drive-through prairie city. I was wrong. Most visitors know “Fargo” from the 1996 movie and TV series about crime and weirdness. I also need to add that I watched a second, much less well-known 2014 movie, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, very loosely based on a...
2PAXfly
ALTURA AIRLINES: Majority Indigenous-owned carrier launches from Perth
Australia has another airline name in its skies. You won’t find Altura Airlines appearing beside Qantas or Virgin Australia when searching for your next Perth flight. The new majority Indigenous-owned carrier commenced operations from Perth on Tuesday, 21 July 2026. Its initial focus is charter flying for mining, energy, infrastructure...
2PAXfly
TRIP REVIEW: Qantas B787-9 Dreamliner, QF75 Sydney to Vancouver in Business Class. Oh Canada!
This is the next post in my Oh Canada! Trip Report. I’ve covered the reason for this trip in the introductory post, as well as my check-in experience and the Qantas First Lounge pre-boarding experience. Now its time for the actual flight. This is my first time (I think) on...
2PAXfly
EMIRATES: A better headrest may be as good as Economy seat innovation gets
Emirates has unveiled a new Economy Class headrest designed to stop passengers’ heads rolling sideways while they attempt the unlikely feat of sleeping upright. Called the U-Dream, the adjustable headrest folds around the passenger’s head and neck, rather like a built-in travel pillow. It may prove genuinely useful. It also...
2PAXfly
WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT: First international passenger flights 100 days away
Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) will welcome its first overseas passenger flight on Monday, 26 October 2026, when an Air New Zealand Airbus arrives from Auckland. The same aircraft will then operate the first scheduled international passenger departure from the new airport, returning across the Tasman later that morning. Western...
Wild About Travel
Why Working From Cafés Around the World Reveals So Much About Culture
I just spent two hours in a café in Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, and ended up observing how differently cafés work here compared to other places. People were happily shouting to each other across the room, kids running and dancing and playing games or videos on their phones. One group took...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 19 July, 2026
Hello travellers, Greetings from Adelaide! I’m here visiting family and friends. It’s the second of two short domestic trips this week. The previous one was to Canberra to view the Arthur Boyd tapestries at the National Gallery of Australia, where I also sampled the Virgin Australia Lounge. What happened last...