Qantas has just made it more expensive to stay loyal. Funny how that works. The airline is calling it a ‘new era’ for its Frequent Flyer program. I’d call it a quiet price hike dressed up in marketing language. This is a change I’ve been waiting on for months. After Virgin Australia overhauled its own program, this felt inevitable. Here’s what’s actually changing, and what it means for your membership. Qantas made a few smaller changes starting in 2025. These included: This new announcement takes things even further. Qantas says the Frequent Flyer program is…
Airline News (Friday)
Category Archives for Airline News (Friday).
Chasing Frequent Flyer Status in a Stacked System
For context: I’m a frequent flyer who maintains status across multiple programs: primarily Virgin Australia Platinum, Qantas Platinum, and Star Alliance Gold. This isn’t unique. Many frequent flyers play multiple programs to maximise coverage and benefits. Are you one of them? Virgin Australia has been one of my “main homes” for 13 years because it operates an extensive domestic network and international routes across the Asia/Pacific region. Virgin has reinvented itself three times: as a low-cost carrier, a full-service carrier, and now a hybrid. Throughout, they’ve been my preferred option for Australian domestic travel, alongside…
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, widebody fleets, equity stakes, and airline alliances play out over 10 to 20-year lifespans. The economic forecasts they are built on are inherently uncertain, however. Demand, fuel prices, regulation, geopolitics, industrial issues, climate policy, or air accidents can derail what looked like a sure path…
Are You Really Choosing Your Airline? Three Groups Control Our World.
Grounded for Good: The Airlines That Didn’t Survive 2025
For over a decade, I’ve been keeping note of which airlines go out of business each year. Do you recognise any of these? Air BelgiumBelgium. Founded: 2016. Commenced: 2018. Passenger operations ceased: 2024 (bankruptcy). Passenger flying had already stopped following the 2024 insolvency. After that, it was limited to wet‑lease and cargo work. In 2025, it finally vanished. Aerolínea Lanhsa Honduras. Founded: 2009. Commenced: 2010. Ceased: 7 April 2025. Aimed to connect the Hondouran capital, Tegucigalpa, with coastal and island destinations such as Roatán and La Ceiba using three turboprops. On 17 March 2025, Flight…
Very Frequent Flying: My best and worst of 2025
One hundred and one flights in 2025, bringing me to 1782 lifetime flights. Flew to or from twenty-seven countries. Five continents. From the midnight sun grazing Helsinki’s summer sky to the crisp air of Hobart’s harbour, 2025 took me 213,054 kilometres (132,386 miles) around our planet. Roughly five times over. My lifetime total? 102 full circumnavigations of the earth. The only continent I missed in 2025? Antarctica. Next time, penguins. Next time! This year earned a 93% of flights I was happy with. This is my highest score since 2001. Not because I’ve gone soft…
Air Japan exits after Just Three Short Years
I am heading to Japan from Bangkok in December, and I always like to keep my options open for flying. ANA Group’s subsidiary, Air Japan (NOT JAL Japan Airlines), has been strongly marketing itself as a key carrier at Bangkok Airport, operating several times a week from Bangkok to Narita International Airport. However, this consideration of Air Japan was tempered by the very recent news that ANA has announced Air Japan will cease all flight operations after March 2026. The original plan for Air Japan, launched in 2022, was to rapidly expand its fleet and…
Seconds After Takeoff – Air India Crash, the First 787 Disaster
I am shocked and dismayed to hear news that Air India AI 171, operating from #Ahmedabad (AMD) to London Gatwick (LGW), was involved in an accident after take-off on Thursday, 12 June 2025. The Boeing 787-8 aircraft departed Ahmedabad at 1338 hrs (local time) with 242 passengers and crew on board. The passengers included 217 adults, 11 children and two infants. There were 169 Indian nationals, 53 #British nationals, 7 #Portuguese nationals, and 1 Canadian national. Air India flight AI 171 broadcast its last signal at 13:38 51 local time, at an altitude of just…
Skyward No More: The Airlines We Lost in 2024
Each year, I reflect on the airlines we lost over the past 12 months. While I much prefer writing about thriving airlines, examining closures offers insight into the industry’s harsh realities. Most airlines that ceased operations in the past year were small-scale ventures. Some, like ČSA Czech Airlines, LIAT, and Air Malta, carried historic names and legacies, while others were new players with big ambitions. Several carriers sought to disrupt markets or introduce unique business models. For instance, HumoAir dreamed of connecting 60 destinations within a year, and Bonza promised affordable airfares tailored to Australians.…
Two weeks in the Air: My Best and Worst Airlines of 2024
Last year, I spent almost two weeks of the 366 days in the air with 29 different airlines. My 99 flights covered 124,000 miles (ca. 200,000 km), taking me to 65 airports across 28 countries. Some trips were memorable for their exceptional service that was so good, I (almost) didn’t want to get off the plane. Others highlighted air travel “challenges”. In my life, I have now logged 3.8 million kilometres in the air (2.4 million miles) with 128 airlines. As I have logged everything, including a rating of every airline, flight, and aircraft I…
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