QANTAS ONE MILLION SEATS SALE

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We don’t think we’ve ever seen a sale quite like this one.

Here are THREE reasons why:

  1. Flexibility boosted with unlimited flight date changes until at least January 2022 (!)
  2. One million seats on sale from $99 one-way to 55 destinations
  3. Complimentary beer and wine in Economy

We told you it was good.

FARES ARE ON SALE until 15 February for travel from Mid-March 2021.

“We’re thrilled by the built-in flexibility of unlimited date changes until at least January 2022,” says The Travel Authority Group’s CEO, Peter Hosper.

[Customers could previously only make one flight change, for travel until the end of June.]

“Knowing that flexibility is part of your Qantas airfare will be a great source of confidence for our clients. Now more than ever before, prospective travellers need that confidence. We hope more airlines follow suit,” adds Hosper.

The flight date can be changed to any available for sale at the time (up to 355 days in advance). Qantas will waive the change fee (a fare difference may apply).

Qantas Group Chief Customer Officer, Stephanie Tully, said with international borders closed, the best way to drive tourism is by making it even easier for Australians to explore their own backyard.

“As the national carrier, we have an important role to play in helping the industry recover from COVID-19, and we know that given the right opportunity, people are keen to travel,” Ms Tully said.

PREMIUM SERVICE

This month, Qantas is also making further improvements to inflight food and beverage options in line with its premium full-service offering. This includes:

  • Complimentary beer and wine for Economy passengers will continue to be available daily across domestic and regional flights (previously available for purchase on certain flights).
  • New hot meal options in Economy, ranging from gourmet beef pies and roast vegetable quiches to beef and mushroom ragout and roasted chicken with tomato, garlic and lemon sauce.
  • Qantas is the only domestic airline offering a full meal service including at breakfast and dinner, including key capital city routes between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. This will be rolled out to shorter flights in March.

The airline has also advised us that it has reopened the vast majority of its 35 Qantas Club and Business Lounges across Australia, and its Chairmans Lounges.

For more information, simply leave us a note in the form below, or CALL US [1300 935 669] to discuss your specific requirements.

We’d love to hear from you!

SILKAIR IS NOW SINGAPORE AIRLINES

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For more than 30 years, SilkAir was the full-service, regional subsidiary of Singapore Airlines operating single-aisle narrow-body aircraft to more than 40 destinations in Asia Pacific, including Cairns and Darwin.

But from 28 January 2021, SilkAir commenced its integration into Singapore Airlines – part of a planned merger announced in 2018.

“Whilst we’re sad to see the demise of the well-like SilkAir brand and offering, we’re sure our clients will welcome the airline’s rebirth as Singapore Airlines,” says Sarah Bush, Co-Founder & Director of The Travel Authority Group.

As a part of the carrier’s wide-ranging business transformation, the move is aimed at maximizing revenue by streamlining brands and standing out from the crowded low-cost carrier market.

“We do believe that with the merger, and with the single-brand, it will make it much easier for customers to understand [that both SilkAir and Singapore Airlines] belong to the same organization,” Singapore Airlines Chief Executive Goh Choon Phong said when the merger was announced in 2018.

SilkAir’s 9 Boeing 737-800 aircraft will progressively join the Singapore Airlines fleet with fresh Singapore Airlines livery, newly upholstered seats, and cabin crew dressed in Singapore Airlines’ iconic sarong kebaya.

Passengers can look forward to in-flight meals created by Singapore Airlines team of chefs, and the airline’s Book the Cook service will also be available on selected flights when travelling in Business Class.

Singapore Airlines’ 737-800 aircraft feature 12 Business Class seats with an 8″ recline, and 150 Economy Class seats.

For more information, simply leave us a note in the form below, or CALL US [1300 935 669] to discuss your specific requirements.

We’d love to hear from you!

QANTAS OPENS INTERNATIONAL BOOKINGS FROM JULY

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In a boost to the entire travel industry and the Australian travelling public, Qantas is anticipating a return to international travel from the middle of the year.

The national carrier’s reservation system is now taking international bookings for travel from 01 July 2021, across its entire overseas network.

“We’re thrilled to see international Qantas services in our bookimg systems once again,” said Sarah Bush, Co-Founder & Director of The Travel Authority Group.

The available services even include destinations in North America and the UK that had previously been expected to be off the table until October at least.

The bringing forward of services at this time perhaps aligns with Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce’s comments back in November that passengers will need to have been vaccinated for COVID-19 before being allowed to travel on Qantas internationally, and the Australian government’s announcement that the country’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has brought forward two weeks to early March.

Last week, Greg Hunt, the Federal Health Minister announced that the Australian vaccination rollout, should be complete in October 2021 ahead of schedule.

A Qantas spokesperson said the airline has aligned the selling of its international services “to reflect our expectation that international travel will begin to restart from July 2021.”

All of our wings have been clipped for the best part of a year now. Are you ready to fly again?

We’d love to hear from you, and help you navigate your way back into the air safely and with confidence.

For more information, simply leave us a note in the form below, or CALL US [1300 935 669] to discuss your specific requirements.

EMIRATES UNVEILS PREMIUM ECONOMY

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In a bold move, Emirates has unveiled a brand new Premium Economy cabin on its newest A380 aircraft.

The airline received its newest A380 aircraft from Airbus’ Hamburg facility in late December, and its remaining order of 5 A380s will also be delivered with premium economy cabins through 2021 and 2022. The new premium economy seats will also be installed on some Emirates Boeing 777X aircraft which are due to join the fleet in 2023.

“The Emirates A380 is already one of the most sought-after travel experiences in the skies, and now we’ve made it even better. True to our fly better promise, Emirates continues to invest to offer our customers the best possible experience,” said Sir Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline.

Our First, Business and Economy experiences reset industry standards when they were introduced, and we are confident that our Premium Economy will also make its mark as a distinct premium offering.

The new cabin offers 56 seats in a 2-4-2 layout.

With a generous pitch of up to 40-inches, Emirates’ premium economy cream-coloured leather seat is 19.5 inches wide, and reclines 8 inches into a comfortable cradle position with ample room to stretch out.

Seats also feature 6-way adjustable headrests, calf rests and footrests.

“We love seeing airlines develop new passenger experiences, and we’re delighted to see Emirates’ much anticipated Premium Economy cabin take flight,” said The Travel Authority Group’s CEO, Peter Hosper.

Emirates has announced that it will deploy its A380 aircraft featuring new premium economy seats and enhancements across all cabins to London Heathrow.

Interestingly, until more Premium Economy seats enter its inventory, the airline intends to offer these as spot upgrades for its valued customers on a discretionary basis.

For more information, simply leave us a note in the form below, or CALL US [1300 935 669] to discuss your specific requirements.

We’d love to hear from you!

FREQUENT FLYER STATUS MATCHING – VIRGIN FIGHTS BACK

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Hot on the heels of Qantas’ frequent flyer fast-track offer, Virgin Australia has hit back with an attractive counter offer.

The airline announced that its Velocity Frequent Flyer program will reward its Gold and Platinum members for their loyalty, and give eligible Qantas Frequent Flyer members (and their companion) a taste of flying with a ‘fun and vibrant’ airline.

Speaking at Brisbane Airport, Virgin Australia Group CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said domestic airline competition was alive and well.

“Virgin Australia was the first airline in Australia to bring genuine competition to the domestic market, and that competitive spirit is in our DNA, so we’re happy to offer a more compelling loyalty offer than what is currently in market,” said Ms Hrdlicka.

“We’re pleased to welcome Qantas members to Velocity who are interested in taking advantage of cheaper fares, award-winning cabin crew, and great rewards for ongoing loyalty. We look forward to welcoming them onboard this summer season,” she added.

HOW DOES IT WORK?

By simply filling-in a short expression of interest form by 21 December 2020, Qantas Gold status and above members will receive a three month ‘Velocity Discover Gold Status’ trial membership.

That membership offers complimentary Lounge access, priority boarding, preferential seating, higher checked baggage allowances, and lucrative bonus points when customers book and fly with Virgin Australia.

To retain Velocity Gold status for 12-months and receive an additional Velocity Gold membership for a companion, they are only required to take one eligible flight and earn 80 status credits during their three month Discover Gold Status trial period—something previously only awarded to the most active Velocity members.

STATUS EXTENSIONS FOR EXISTING VELOCITY GOLD AND PLATINUM MEMBERS

Not to be outdone by the national carrier, Velocity Frequent Flyer is also offring eligible Gold and Platinum members a status extension of up to one year or until 31 March 2022, as long as they take one (1) eligible flight with Virgin Australia before 28 March 2021.

This is the second time Velocity has granted eligible members a Status extension this year. This will enable Gold and Platinum members to continue accessing benefits like Lounge access, priority boarding, and higher Velocity points earning ability when they return to the skies.

For more information, simply leave us a note in the form below, or CALL US [1300 935 669] to discuss your specific requirements.

We’d love to hear from you!

QANTAS FAST-TRACKS LOYALTY PROGRAM SWITCHERS

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In a perhaps not entirely surprising (but bold) move, Qantas Frequent Flyer is offering top tier members of other airline loyalty programs the opportunity to fast track their flying status when they switch to Qantas.

The offer also includes a very attractive bonus of 90-days of complimentary lounge access.

According to a statement from the national carrier, this is the first time it has made such an offer. It comes on the back of significant enquiries about joining the program from members of other domestic and international airline loyalty programs – the consequence of changes in the local market as well as restrictions on overseas travel.

So, how does it work?

People holding an eligible loyalty status with a qualifying airline program are invited to switch and take advantage of the Qantas Status Fast Track – an offer to earn 100 status credits in 3 months to qualify for Qantas’ Gold tier.

What does earning 100 Status Credits look like?

  • 5 x return economy trips Sydney to Melbourne.
  • 1 x return business class trip Melbourne to Cairns.

In addition to helping expedite their status, the offer also includes 90 days of complimentary access to Qantas Club lounges, and extra checked baggage.

Gold tier benefits with Qantas include lounge access across Qantas and oneworld airline lounges globally, preferential seating and priority access to reward seats, as well as priority check-in, boarding and upgrade requests.

Those wishing to transfer from a higher flying tier – Platinum and Platinum One equivalents – will only be able to transfer to Qantas’ Gold status, rather than have their status matched. Reaching a higher frequent flyer status requires members to earn the normal requirements within a Membership Year.

“With so much uncertainty in the market, we’ve seen a spike in requests from people wanting us to match their status with other airlines. If they are willing to bring their travel across to Qantas, we will fast track them to Gold status,” said Qantas Loyalty CEO, Olivia Wirth.

By early December, eligible Qantas Frequent Flyers will have access to 30 of the 35 domestic and regional lounges across the airline’s network.

Registrations for the Qantas Status Fast Track close 18 December 2020.

For more information, simply leave us a note in the form below, or CALL US [1300 935 669] to discuss your specific requirements.

We’d love to hear from you!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY QANTAS

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Today marks the 100th anniversary of Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services – QANTAS.

Qantas is the oldest continuously-operating airline in the world.

On 16 November 1920, two veterans of the Australian Flying Corps, Hudson Fysh and Paul McGinness, together with local grazier Fergus McMaster, founded what would later become the national carrier.

This happened just 17 years after the first powered flight by the Wright Brothers, two years after the end of World War One and at the tail end of the last major global pandemic, the Spanish Flu.

“It’s such an incredible milestone. 100 years, it’s remarkable.”

The Travel Authority Group’s CEO, Peter Hosper.

“The Travel Authority Group truly values its long-standing relationship as a Qantas Platinum Partner. As Australia’s national carrier with a global network, Qantas is a central part of our client offering. We wish our friends at Qantas the very best on this significant day, and wish they could have been celebrating in a manner fit for the occasion,” added Hosper.

As you might expect, the airline’s planned centenary celebrations have been significantly scaled back due to the impact of COVID.

Here’s to another 100 years of the Flying Kangaroo!

NSW TO OPEN BORDER WITH VICTORIA

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NSW border opens to Victoria from November 23 after coronavirus shutdown.

Qantas and Jetstar will operate thousands of flights to and from Melbourne and regional Victoria over summer following the New South Wales Government’s decision to open its borders.

From 23 November, Qantas and Jetstar will operate more than 250 flights per week across five routes, offering travellers 48,000 seats between the two states. This compares with just ten return flights per week operating between Melbourne and Sydney (the only route currently operating between NSW and VIC).

Both carriers will look to add more flights if there is sufficient demand.

Qantas Domestic & International CEO, Andrew David is thrilled to be adding such capacity into the network stating that, “This is fantastic news. We’ve added thousands of more flights back into our schedule today which will see Melbourne-Sydney once again become the busiest air route in Australia.”

November 23 will be a day many people will now be looking forward to. It’s exciting for the family and friends who can finally be reunited after months apart.”

Qantas Domestic & International CEO, Andrew David

David Thompson, Manager of Sales & Client Experience at The Travel Authority, believes this is another positive move in the “normalisation” of travel during the pandemic.

“This is very welcome news from Qantas. The Sydney – Melbourne air corridor was the second busiest in the world. At the height of the lockdown, there was only one flight a day between our two largest cities. That is just not sustainable,” said Thompson.

“Our Corporate Clients cannot wait to get back in the air and this is an important step in making that happen. The sooner all borders reopen the sooner we can get the economy moving again. The pent-up demand from our clients is palpable.”

David Thompson, Manager of Sales & Client Experience at The Travel Authority

Thompson went on to note that, “As soon as borders open we get an influx of bookings to that destination, recently South Australia opened their borders and our bookings went through the roof. We really would love to see Queensland and Western Australia open their borders as soon as possible.”

Borders are on everyone’s mind as we enter the holiday period. Last week Qantas CEO Alan Joyce slammed Queensland’s decision to keep its border closed to Sydney.

“Frankly, this is ridiculous,” Joyce said in a statement.

“Sydney is the biggest city in Australia and it probably has one of the best track records globally of managing a virus that is clearly going to be with us for a very long time. Keeping the doors bolted to places that you can’t reasonably call hot spots makes no sense from a health perspective and it’s doing a lot of social and economic damage as well,” Joyce added.

Our Take?

With the NSW border opening the good news is that, with so much available capacity, airfares are seriously good value and 5-star hotels are selling rooms at unheard of prices.

Now is the time to book a weekend away to Melbourne or Sydney, and for our Corporate Clients now is brilliant opportunity to finally start to utilise and reduce those tickets/credits on hold at these current low pricing levels—lock in the savings now!

For more information, simply leave us a note in the form below, or CALL US [1300 935 669] to discuss your specific requirements.
We’d love to hear from you.

QANTAS TAKES OFF WITH NEW ROUTES & MORE SEATS

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The national carrier has been busy recently, responding to an easing of travel restrictions with a suite of new routes, the resumption of others, and more seats available on some routes by deploying larger aircraft.

“We’re really thrilled to see Qantas launching new routes, resurrecting others, and increasing capacity of popular routes. It’s driving a real increase in inquiry from clients who are just itching to travel again,” says The Travel Authority Group’s CEO, Peter Hosper.

NEW ROUTES

1..Perth-Hobart

From 14 November Qantas will launch a new route between Perth and Hobart. The new seasonal service will operate three days per week until 31 January 2021 with a Boeing 737 aircraft.

“We so look forward to seeing this route take off, and more Australians visiting every corner of this incredible country,” says Lisa Byers, General Manager of The Travel Authority Group – Western Australia

2. Sydney-Launceston

From 4 December 2020, Qantas will operate three return services per week with Boeing 717 aircraft, increasing to four return services from the following week until 01 February.

“As the national carrier, we’re delighted to add direct flights between Launceston and Sydney for the first time in 16 years. We’ll keep a close eye on demand and if it proves successful we will look to extend the service,” said Qantas Domestic and International CEO, Andrew David.

This is the first time since 2004 that the flying kangaroo has flown between Launceston and Sydney.

3. Resuming Sydney-Hobart

With borders opening up, Qantas will also restart flights between Hobart to Sydney, with 11 return services per week from 6 November 2020.

This announcement follows two other new routes the Qantas Group has launched to Tasmania in response to demand – Brisbane-Hobart with Qantas and Gold Coast-Hobart with Jetstar.

With these additional flights, the Qantas Group will offer more than 125,000 seats between Tasmania and the mainland in December—that’s more than 10% of the Group’s total published domestic capacity for the month.

5. More Seats to Byron Bay

By introducing the larger Boeing 737 aircraft to the Byron Bay (Ballina) route between 9 November and the end of March 2021, Qantas is adding some 1,500 seats each week on the popular route over the summer.

Additional Services

Qantas is also making the following changes to its operating schedule:

  • Increasing Adelaide to Perth flights from 4 flights to 7 flights per week
  • Increasing Brisbane to Perth flights from 5 flights to 14 flights per week
  • Increasing Darwin to Perth flights from 2 flights to 3 flights per week
  • Resuming 4-weekly Canberra to Perth flights

For more information and TO BOOK, simply leave us a note in the form below, or CALL US [1300 935 669] to discuss your specific requirements.

We’d love to hear from you!

QANTAS RESTRUCTURES DOMESTIC AIRFARES

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Qantas is updating its domestic Economy airfare structure as the airline rolls out its three-year recovery plan.

Prices are being reduced at the top of the fare structure on some routes, and an additional fare class will be introduced to the ‘Red e-Deal’ fare family which will see smaller buy-up levels between economy class fare classes.

There are no changes for Business fares.

The new fare structure applies for tickets issued and tickets reissued on or after 4 November 2020.

What does it all mean?

‘M’ class fares—currently Qantas’ cheapest flexible economy fares—will move from the ‘Flex’ fare class to the ‘Red e-Deal’ fare family.

Is this good or bad news?

David Thompson, Manager of Sales & Client Experience at The Travel Authority Corporate, believes this is a positive move by the national carrier.

“It remains to be seen how pricing trends through 2021 but, as it stands, this restructure is good news. Big picture: Qantas has reduced published fares across most of its fare classes,” says Thompson.

One thing that is apparent, is that the domestic market will remain highly competitive, with Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin Australia and an emergent REX making a big play on key routes.

Questions?

1. Will there be any changes to the product and experience offered onboard?

All fares will continue to be inclusive of complimentary food and beverages, in-flight entertainment, Wi-Fi (where available) and checked baggage allowance.

2. Will there be any changes to Qantas Frequent Flyer points earning rates?

Qantas Point and Status Credit earn rates will remain the same within each Qantas Frequent Flyer Earn Category.

3. Are there any changes to the number of Qantas Points required for a Classic Upgrade Reward on Qantas Domestic flights?

The points required to upgrade from Qantas Domestic Frequent Flyer Categories are not changing.

Some questions still remain, however.

Like, how will this structure change affect customers holding Qantas flight credits in M-class? Please contact us to discuss if this sounds like it might affect you.

And, if Qantas deploys smaller aircraft on some routes to adjust for the slow return of demand, what effect will this have on the availability of the lower, cheaper booking classes?

We will continue to monitor the situation and make booking recommendations accordingly.

“Even with the current unknowns, we’re pleased to see Qantas preparing for the return of significant corporate and business travel,” notes Thompson.

For more information, simply leave us a note in the form below, or CALL US [1300 935 669] to discuss your specific requirements.

We’d love to hear from you.