All posts filed under: Fly

Qantas Philippine Airlines partnership

Use Qantas points for Philippine Airlines award flights

Qantas Frequent Flyer has added Philippine Airlines as a new redemption partner to its fold, allowing members to book Classic Reward seats across the entire PAL network. For Asia-based members, this is a meaningful addition to the award network, especially if you are planning your next Filipino holiday. What’s new Frequent Flyers can now use their points to reach 15 island destinations across the Philippines, including Boracay, Cebu, Palawan and more. Beyond the Philippines itself, you can also redeem your Qantas points for Philippine Airlines-operated flights to USA, Canada, Australia and even the Middle East. The arrangement is two-way, so Mabuhay Miles members can also now redeem miles on Qantas domestic and international flights, including regional Australian destinations such as Adelaide, Hobart, Byron Bay, and Cairns. Outside of Philippines, I imagine there wouldn’t be many Mabuhay members anyway, so this may not be of interest. Notably, this new partnership marks Mabuhay Miles’ fourth airline collaboration as PAL continues to expand its global loyalty footprint. Philippine Airlines most recently signed a similar tie-up with Qatar Airways, …

FLIGHT REVIEW: Qantas A380-800 First Class, Singapore – London Heathrow (SIN-LHR)

Qantas made quite a fair bit of news in Singapore just before Covid-19 with the grand opening of its first class lounge, which sadly shuttered not long after it was officially opened. The good news is, the lounge survived the pandemic; it is now reopened and received guests at full force, just as with before. I have had the fortune to experience the first class cabin some years back, but it was from Sydney to Singapore. I had such a great time, it created a new bucket list item for me, to try the same product again but on a much longer flight, from Singapore to London or vice versa. However, the first class cabin across all airlines is some what of a unicorn in the post-Covid era. Even with a bank full of points, it takes sheer determination and an awful lot of patience to find any kind of award availability. And I finally laid my hands on it. In this post:• Flight today• The Qantas A380• Checking in• Qantas First Lounge• Boarding• The …

FLIGHT REVIEW: Qantas A330-300 Business Class, Singapore – Sydney (SIN-SYD)

In November 2022, Qantas resumed flights between Singapore and Australia, after a 20-month hiatus since Australia closed its borders in March 2020. With Australia allowing Singapore citizens into the country since November last year as a pilot before reopening the borders, I thought I’d take a trip Down Under in February this year to see a couple of friends that I have not met for years. I had a good experience with Qantas several years ago, and was excited to see if the experience remained the same. In this post:• Flight today• Pre-trip planning• Checking in• The seat• The service• Food & drinks• Qantas amenity kit• Final thoughts Flight today Qantas QF82Singapore (SIN) – Sydney (SYD)16 February 2022Depart: 9:00PMArrive: 7:20PM (+1 day)Duration: 7 hr 20 minAircraft: Airbus A330-300Seat: 7F (Business Class) Pre-trip planning Visa Most visitors to Australia will require an Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) or a visa to enter, including Singapore citizens. Citizens of over 33 countries, including Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Hong Kong and Japan can apply for the ETA through the Australia ETA …