Wild About Travel
The Surreal Magic of Walking Where Ships Should Be: Helsinki in Winter
My Strava doesn’t lie. It shows me walking 300 metres across the water from Helsinki’s shoreline, just near Kaivopuisto in southern Helsinki, to the island of Harakka. In winter, Helsinki can spend weeks below zero Celsius, which means vast areas of the sea freeze into thick ice. The 7 metres...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday, 1 February 2026
Hope you are having a great weekend. Below is a summary of stories that appeared in the blog over the last week. QANTAS: Sydney to Sapporo, Japan flights doubled for next ski season By 2paxfly on 31 Jan 2026 12:35 pmThe international arm of Qantas has never been afraid of...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Sydney to Sapporo, Japan flights doubled for next ski season
The international arm of Qantas has never been afraid of exploiting a trend. This time it’s eyeing off winter escape to Hokkaido, Japan for the 2026/2027 snow season. Qantas will significantly increase capacity on its Sydney–Sapporo route next ski season, lifting services from three flights per week to as many...
Wild About Travel
Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth): A City That Has Lost Its Way.
I rode by minibus along the Garden Route after a week exploring wineries, hikes, whales, coffee, food and South African hospitality. We arrived in Port Elizabeth in a different world. Load shedding had struck, the streets were dark, traffic lights blank or flashing, and pools of water from generators showed...
Wild About Travel
Rovaniemi, Finland – Santa, snow, and Arctic light
Rovaniemi is a small Arctic city that sells hard on Santa and northern lights, but underneath the Christmas branding there is a real Lapland hub for winter activities and slow tundra days. It works best if you accept the tourist kitsch, time your visit for snow or autumn colours, and...
2PAXfly
AIRLINES: What is a codeshare agreement and why they matter
If you’ve ever booked a flight on Qantas, only to discover you’re actually flying on an Emirates or Cathay Pacific aircraft, you’ve already encountered a codeshare agreement . Although you may not have realised it when you booked. Codesharing allows airlines to dramatically expand their networks without buying more planes...
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Starts Canberra to Bali direct route
Canberra has few direct international connections. Maybe Doha and Fiji, which also, fortunately, function as launch pads for additional international destinations. You can now add Bali to that list, with Virgin Australia launching its first-ever international service from the nation’s capital, from 22 June 2026. Canberrans will no longer need...
Wild About Travel
Cape Town: Beautiful and Complicated
I came to Cape Town hoping to like it and ended up loving it. I want to encourage other visitors to look beyond the surface here. It’s a complex and fascinating place. Introducing the CityThe road from the modern Cape Town airport passes through the sprawling townships of Langa, Nyanga...
Wild About Travel
Seventeen Mega Groups: How Airline Consolidation could rewire the World
In my last post, I showed how the airline industry has consolidated significantly, with most European and US airlines falling into just three mega-groups that control a significant share of the world’s seats. But the consolidation appears nowhere near over. The airline industry is genuinely hard to forecast. Hub airports,...
2PAXfly
AIRLINES: What is an interline agreement and why they matter
Most travellers would have no idea what an airline interline agreement is. But if you’ve ever checked a bag through to your final destination on two different airlines, been rebooked after a delay, or stitched together a multi-airline itinerary, you’ve probably almost certainly the beneficiary of one. Put simply, an...
2PAXfly
UNITED KINGDOM: New entry rules a costly trap for Australian dual citizens
Australians who also hold British citizenship are facing a rude shock with new UK border rules coming into force later this year. From February 25, 2026, anyone holding British or Irish citizenship will be required to enter the United Kingdom with a valid UK or Irish passport or a Certificate...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday, 25 January, 2026
Hello travellers, Greetings from a very warm Sydney. I’m enjoying Summer, and making plans to escape to Europe in our Autumn.  Most people in Australia have completed their Summer holidays and are back at work. This post-holiday period is a good time to monitor airfares for specials, and to plan...
Wild About Travel
Are You Really Choosing Your Airline? Three Groups Control Our World.
The post Are You Really Choosing Your Airline? Three Groups Control Our World. appeared first on Wild About Travel.
2PAXfly
GULFSTREAM 800: New Murdoch aircraft the first of its type to land in Sydney
Joe Aston’s (authority on Alan Joyce’s leadership at Qantas) website and newsletter Rampart is reporting that Lauchlan’s new toy plane, a Gulfstream 800, has recently arrived in Sydney. It’s the first of this new version of the businessman’s plaything to land in Sydney. The aircraft departed Gulfstream’s Savannah base on...
2PAXfly
ON-TIME PERFORMANCE: Qantas more punctual, but cancels more flights than Virgin Australia
The latest government data released by BITRE (Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics) has delivered a familiar but still uncomfortable truth for Australia’s airlines. Qantas is cancelling twice as many domestic flights as its main rival, Virgin Australia. It achieves that while outperforming other airlines on punctuality once the...
2PAXfly
QANTAS/EMIRATES: Tougher to get first class awards. More points and more strings attached
If you’ve been quietly eyeing off an Emirates First Class splurge using Qantas Frequent Flyer points, you may be too late. Or, at least it will cost you more and come with more conditions you need to fulfil. Emirates has been tightening the rules around its Emirates Skywards scheme. Transfer...