2PAXfly
QANTAS: T-80 rule now becomes T-24 – to find the best domestic seats with more leg room
Recently, well, in the second half of 2024, Qantas changed the T-80 rule to T-24. Don’t know what I’m talking about? Let me explain. T-24, formally T-80 is the number of hours before your flight that Qantas releases seats normally reserved for their most premium customers. Qantas changed the T-80...
2PAXfly
AMERICAN AIRLINES: Helicopter and Bombadier CRJ700 crash outside Ronald Reagan Airport, Washington DC. At least 18 dead
Emergency services have recovered at least 18 bodies from the Potomac River following a tragic midair collision between a passenger jet and an army helicopter near Washington DC. The accident occurred as the passenger jet was approaching Ronald Reagan National Airport. Rescue efforts are ongoing. Details of the Collision The...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: New uniforms to arrive in 2027
Qantas has a long association with infamous Australian and international designers. It’s scouting for a new designer to produce its next uniform collection, which will debut in 2027. Part of the process is consulting with its 17,000 staff. It’s been more than a decade since the current uniforms designed by...
2PAXfly
ON-TIME-PERFORMANCE: The war on punctuality performance—Qantas v Virgin Australia
For some time, Australia’s domestic airlines have been fighting over the prize for the most reliable on-time performance. This week, however, the war has come to an absurd conclusion (I wish that were the end!) with warring press releases from Australia’s two major domestic airlines: Qantas Group and Virgin Australia....
Wild About Travel
80 Years Later: Why we must remember the Holocaust
Today, 27 January, marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz concentration camp in 1945. This day is now recognised as International Holocaust Remembrance Day, or the International Day in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust. I have now visited three Nazi-era concentration camps: Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg (1936–1945), Auschwitz (1940–1945),...
Wild About Travel
From Tiny Slips to Big Stories: Boarding Passes Remind Me of 2024 Adventures
While sorting through my 2024 travel souvenirs today, I gathered these boarding passes from most of my flights from last year. These are tiny and powerful reminders of my incredible adventures built around the 99 flights with 29 airlines I took last year to 28 countries. Some people collect postcards,...
2PAXfly
REX: Australian Government to become biggest shareholder in failing regional airline
It’s a weird one, but there is reason in this apparent madness. The Australian government will spend AU$50 million to become the biggest stakeholder in Regional Express Airlines (REX). It will purchase the stake from PAG Asia Capital. This will make the Australian Government the airline’s biggest creditor, thus giving...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Loyalty changes: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly!
Ugggh! More changes to the Qantas loyalty scheme. These are rarely good. More like bad or ugly. What is presented as advantage, ends up having a very big downside. Lets have a look at the changes to the Qantas Frequent Flyer loyalty scheme announced today. Changes cover Qantas, Jetstar and...
2PAXfly
KOALA AIRLINES: Beaten before it even starts?
Koala Airlines promised to be a disruptor and to take on Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia on Australian domestic routes. Today (2:15 pm AEST, 22 January 2025) it faces winding up proceedings. Wealth Creation Pty Ltd brings the action in the Victorian Supreme Court. It looks like Koala Airlines might...
Wild About Travel
Flying Batik Air for the First Time: What You Need to Know
I have been avoiding Batik Air for a long time, but I finally decided to try them. This review reflects my first experience with Batik Air, an airline that enjoys many negative Trip Advisor reviews. Summary Rating: 61%Route: Krabi to Kuala Lumpur, 667 km, 1 hour 16 minuteAirline: Batik Air...
Wild About Travel
Stingray attack -a reminder of the need for Travel Insurance
I was just by the beach in southern Thailand, gearing up for a beautiful sunset beachside wedding. After a nice Thai lunch and a good cup of Es Yen (local Thai iced coffee), I figured I’d have a swim in the hotel’s net-enclosed beachside swimming area, designed to keep out...
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Doha Velocity reward seats released
Virgin Australia has just released a bunch of Velocity Reward seats for its Brisbane Perth and Sydney to Doha flights using wet-leased Qatar Boeing 777 aircraft with QSuites. Start dates are: Virgin is calling it a tripling of reward seats. Speculation is that Virgin Australia has raised the number of...
2PAXfly
TURKISH AIRLINES: Launches Auckland Flights via Singapore
It looks like the Istanbul-based airline has firm ambitions on ultra-long-haul routes. It even has Auckland, New Zealand, in its sights. At the Turkish Airlines Management Summit 2025 in Antalya, Turkish Airlines Chairman Ahmet Bolat announced the commencement of flights to Minneapolis, Minnesota, in April/May 2025. The development of an...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Seasonal ski route Sydney to Sapporo, Japan for December 2025 on sale today
Qantas has announced today its seasonal non-stop route between Sydney and Sapporo, Japan, for the ski season commencing on 15 December. The route will continue until 28 March 2026, three times per week, using an Airbus A330-200. This route has been resurrected and was last flown in the pre-pandemic years...
Wild About Travel
Dreaming Differently- Czech Airlines in a Parallel World
In the 2000s, I loved seeing the OK tails of CSA Czech Airlines at airports around the world. I never actually flew them, but I wish I had. On Friday, I wrote about the airlines we lost in 2024. One of the most prominent was Czech Airlines’. As the fifth-oldest...
2PAXfly
UNITED KINGDOM: ETA for transit passengers suspended. Fee to increase 60%
The United Kingdom (UK) recently introduced an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) with an accompanying fee. However, due to customer feedback, primarily from airlines like British Airways, the ETA has been dropped for transit passengers heading through UK airports. Income and border control Part of introducing the ETA is to gain...