Air New Zealand will debut its Boeing 787-9 aircraft equipped with newly designed cabin interiors in February 2025. The airline has ambitious plans to retrofit seven 787-9s by the end of 2025, with the entire project due to be completed by the end of 2026. According to an article in...

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has granted interim authorisation for a collaborative venture between Virgin Australia and Qatar Airways. Virgin Australia has applied to cooperate with Qatar Airways in an integrated alliance. Tickets on sale soon This decision allows the two carriers to begin marketing and selling 28...

Earlier this month, Pulse Tasmania reported that the Tasmanian Government were actively discussing with two airlines to provide international services to Hobart, once its runway upgrade is complete. The two airlines are Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines. The stage of discussions Discussions with Tasmanian Premier Jeremy Rockliff cover passengers and...

China is working on encouraging Australians to visit its shores. Back in July, it introduced 15-day visa-free travel for Australians to China. Now, the Chinese Embassy in Canberra has announced you can visit visa-free for 30 days. That sure beats having to queue at a Chinese Embassy for a few...

Emirates has just unveiled its first Airbus A350-900 at a glitzy event in Dubai. This is the first time since 2008 that Emirates has introduced a new aircraft type. Up until now, its fleet has consisted of A380 and Boeing 777 aircraft. Notable figures such as Tim Clark, President of...

If you are an Australian planning a trip to the UK starting in January 2025, you can now apply for the UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). This digital visa-waiver program facilitates tourism and business travel, similar to the USA’s ESTA and upcoming equivalents in Europe, Thailand, and Japan. Who...

Virgin Australia (VA) is on the verge of expanding its wings to Europe, according to the AFR. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) is poised to approve a strategic aircraft and crew lease between VA and Qatar Airways. The regulatory nod could come as soon as Wednesday. This will...

Air New Zealand held an Investor Day earlier this week. The key presentation, available online, indicates two interesting developments. The first is an expansion of routes and destinations once new aircraft arrive, and the other is the creation of a new tier in their loyalty program, Airpoints. New Destinations posed...

British Airways has announced a new First Class seat for its fleet of A380s to be retrofitted and in the air by 2026. Let’s hope it puts to bed the old saying about British Airways First Class — that it was the best business class cabin in the sky. As...

Remember when Qantas was all gung-ho about bringing back its flagship Airbus A380, and it brought back the first early in November 2021? Well, it’s November 2024, nearly 2025, and Qantas is talking about the ‘last’ one returning in 2026 according to ET. That’s right, the final double-decker super-jumbo jet...

Air New Zealand has rolled out a new advertising campaign targeting the Australian market. It features Australian actress and ex-wife of Sasha Baron Cohen, Isla Fisher. The campaign aims to showcase the airline’s offerings for Australians travelling to and from New Zealand. Storyline The ‘Somewhere over the Tasman’ campaign follows...

We have known Oman Air is to join OneWorld for a while. First, it was scheduled for 2024 and then recently rescheduled for 2025. Now, we have an official date courtesy of the new Oman Air CEO, Con Korfiatis, via ET’s David Flynn. He’s on a junket to London via...

Virgin Australia is officially parting ways with its long-time partner, Etihad Airways, by June next year. This move clears the runway for a new alliance with Qatar Airways, which is eyeing a 25% stake in Virgin, subject to regulatory approval. The Official Word from Etihad Airways Etihad made it clear...