Virgin Australia has deepened its partnership with Canada’s largest airline, Air Canada, with the rollout of a new frequent flyer arrangement.

As of 19 January 2021, members of each airline’s loyalty program can earn and burn points and earn status credits with the other carrier.

Velocity Frequent Flyers can earn Velocity Points when flying with Air Canada between Australia and Canada, and other eligible destinations in the Air Canada network.

The number of Velocity Points you earn with Air Canada is based on the fare class and the number of miles you are travelling, as per below.

According to Velocity’s website, points redemptions are unavailable for the time being.

In terms of earning status credits, here are the rates.

The earn rates for Air Canada customers flying with Virgin Australia are available on Air Canada’s website.

There’s no word yet on whether the airlines will provide other perks to each other’s top-tier customers, like lounge access.

Expect more news on this front when international travel resumes.

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Velocity Frequent Flyer and flybuys have made some welcome changes to their partnership.

First up, the points transfer rate from flybuys to Velocity is increasing permanently. Previously, you could transfer 2000 Flybuys points for 870 Velocity Points. Now, 2000 flybuys points will get you 1000 Velocity Points: a handy 15% boost.

The minimum transfer amount has also been reduced to 1000 flybuys points (= 500 Velocity Points). Customers can set up an auto-transfer feature so that points are automatically transferred from flybuys to Velocity when you earn this amount.

In addition, the annual limit on points transfers has been removed, meaning you can now transfer as many points as you like.

To read more about these changes, visit Velocity’s website here.

With Covid-19 vaccines beginning to be rolled out around the world, Qantas has decided to reopen bookings across its international network from 1 July 2021, anticipating that overseas travel will resume around that time.

This seems rather optimistic given the scale of the outbreak globally, the pace of vaccinations in some countries, and the fact Australians won’t be getting a jab until March.

The federal government expects all Australians who want to get vaccinated to do so by October.

Nevertheless, Qantas’ decision to reopen bookings is an opportunity for Qantas Points holders to put their points to use, secure some seats and hope for the best.

One advantage of booking with points is that tickets are refundable if your plans change, subject to a cancellation fee of 6,000 points per person (currently waived until 31 March, which may be extended).

That means you can speculatively book some seats and then wait to see what happens with the pandemic.

The airline has made reward seats available on popular routes, including in sought-after premium cabins which typically get snapped up fast.

One thing to note is that Qantas isn’t going to restart its full overseas network from July. Executive Traveller reports today that there are a handful of omissions from the forward roster, including flights to New York and Santiago. I’d look out for these to be added to the network in the coming months.

While browsing the Qantas website earlier, I noticed that many of its partner airlines have also made reward seats available, including in premium cabins.

The same principle applies here: if you wish to book, you can do so knowing you’ll be able to cancel later.

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Emirates has unveiled its long-anticipated new premium economy product alongside enhancements and a refreshed look across all cabins on its newest A380 aircraft.

The new premium economy product, set to launch on select routes next year, offers 56 seats in a 2-4-2 layout with a pitch (distance from seatback to seatback) of “up to” 40-inches and width of 19.5 inches. By way of comparison, economy passengers get 32-34 inches of pitch and an 18-inch wide seat.

These specs place the product in a similar league to competitors (for example, Qantas offers a width of “up to” 22.8 inches and 38 inches of pitch).

The new seats also sport an 8-inch recline, 13.3 inch screen, power charging points, a foldable cocktail / dining table, adjustable headrests, calf rests and footrests.

Emirates received its newest A380 aircraft fitted with premium economy last week, and its remaining order of five A380s will be delivered with this cabin over 2021 and 2022.

Premium Economy seats will also be installed on some of Emirates’ Boeing 777X aircraft which are due to join the fleet in 2023. Emirates says it’s also considering plans to retrofit its existing A380 fleet.

The airline will announce details of where its A380 aircraft with premium economy will be deployed in the coming weeks. However, it’s not expected that PE tickets will go on sale until more aircraft are received – until then, VIP customers in economy will be offered a complimentary upgrade.

Enhancements to other cabins

Emirates has also unveiled a refreshed look in other cabins.

In business class, Emirates has retained the familiar 1-2-1 layout with lie-flat seats that offer direct aisle access for every passenger. The design has been refreshed to a more modern look with champagne-coloured leather covers and wood finishing.

First class also sees a fresh new look …

…as does economy.

The onboard bar for the enjoyment of business and first class guests also showcases a stylish upgrade.

While Emirates previously alluded to the possibility that existing A380 aircraft may be retrofitted with the new cabin designs, unfortunately at this stage there are no plans to do so.

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Qantas has further extended its flexible booking policy until 31 March 2021: a great incentive for customers to book flights given the potential for more travel restrictions and border closures if Covid-19 cases pop up.

For paid fares, Qantas customers can change the date of their flight one time prior to departure without incurring a change fee (which is not as generous as Virgin Australia’s policy, which permits unlimited changes). It applies to domestic Qantas and trans-Tasman flights booked by 31 March 2021 for travel until the same date.

If you want to change your flight dates, you’ll need to do so before your scheduled date of departure, and also cover any fare increase for the new flights.

For reward seats booked with Qantas Points, Qantas has also extended free changes and cancellations until 31 March 2021. If you choose to cancel, the total Qantas Points used and any taxes, fees and carrier charges paid will be refunded in full with no cancellation fee.

Before booking, make sure to check the latest Government travel requirements, which may include mandatory health declarations, use of face masks, entry permits, pre-approval and quarantine (possibly at your own expense), or you could be denied entry.

More information about the Fly Flexible policy is available here.