Great news, business class travellers!

Qantas partner and oneworld member Qatar Airways will launch its award-winning business class product, Qsuite, on flights between Doha and Canberra via Sydney on 1 July 2018.

The airline flagged that it would introduce Qsuite on this route a few months ago, and now it has confirmed the details.

The route will be served by Qsuite up to four times a week during July, with an alternating daily schedule until the route goes all-Qsuite daily on 1 August.

That means during July, some passengers booked on QR906/907 will still experience the airline’s outdated 2-2-2 business class product.

Sydney-based travellers should also be aware that Qatar Airways has a separate direct flight between Sydney and Doha (QR908/909), which will continue to be operated by an A380.

Qsuite is regarded by many travellers and analysts as the best business class product in the sky. It features the first-ever double bed in business class …

… as well as private cabins for up to four people that allow passengers to create their own private “room”, a first of its kind in the industry.

These features provide the most customisable travel experience you can have in commercial aviation.

Qsuite is currently available on select Qatar Airways’ Boeing 777-300ER, Airbus A350-900 and A350-1000 aircraft.

The expansion to Sydney and Canberra follows the introduction of the product to various destinations around the globe, including London, Paris, New York, Chicago, Houston and Shanghai.

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The Commonwealth Bank has announced that it will stop issuing new American Express cards and will cancel all existing CBA Amex cards later this year.

We’ve been expecting this news for some time and today it was confirmed via a statement on the bank’s website. CBA says it will formally notify customers next week.

Here’s what we know so far.

The cut-off date for getting a new Amex card as part of an Amex/Mastercard bundle is 31 August. After that, only Mastercards will be issued.

All customers will find their existing Amex cards disabled on 1 November. Companion Mastercards will continue to function as normal.

This applies to both personal and business Amex cards.

CBA will not be reducing the annual fees it charges. Given CBA credit cards were already among the worst in the country, with points earn rates that are a fraction of what competitors offer, this is a poor way to treat customers.

The bank’s decision to shut down its Amex cards is a response to new Reserve Bank regulations that have made Amex cards much less profitable for the banks. We’ve already seen Westpac, ANZ and NAB cancel their Amex cards, and CBA now joins them.

With these changes, only Amex cards issued directly by American Express Australia will remain in the market.

Since those cards are exempt from the new Reserve Bank regulations, they will continue to offer very compelling value.

CBA customers who want to get more from their everyday spend should seriously consider switching.

The top three Amex cards loved by savvy points collectors all offer a very high 1.5 frequent flyers points per dollar spent on everyday purchases, plus they come with a free flight or travel credit each year that offsets the annual fee.

For Qantas Points lovers, our top pick is the Qantas Amex Ultimate Card: you receive 1.5 Qantas Points per dollar spent on everyday purchases, plus the card comes with valuable perks like airport lounge passes, travel insurance and a $450 annual travel credit that fully offsets the card fee. You can read our card review and pick up 55,000 bonus Qantas Points here.

Virgin Australia fans should take a look at the Amex Velocity Platinum Card. It offers 1.5 Velocity Points per dollar spent on everyday purchases, and also comes with airport lounge passes, travel insurance and other perks. A free domestic return flight every year offsets the card fee. You can read our card review and pick up 50,000 bonus Velocity Points here.

If you prefer a flexible points currency, we love the Amex Explorer Credit Card. It earns 2 Amex Membership Rewards points per dollar spent on everyday purchases, which converts to 1.5 frequent flyer points when transferred to Velocity Frequent Flyer, Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer or a number of other airline partners. Cardholders also enjoy airport lounge passes and travel insurance, plus a $400 travel credit each year fully offsets the card fee. You can read more and pick up 50,000 bonus points here.

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Qantas Frequent Flyer members can now book award seats with China Eastern Airlines via the Qantas website, whereas until now you had to call Qantas to book. This is the last major airline partner to be added to Qantas’ online award booking engine.

China Eastern flies from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to its hub in Shanghai, and onward to destinations in Asia, Europe and North America. Depending on where you want to go, it could be a useful alternative to Qantas’ better known partners.

The airline releases a decent amount of award seats including in business and first class. Right now, for example, it’s very easy to get two business class seats on flights between Australia and Shanghai (and beyond) over the next 12 months.

China Eastern does also offer first class services on many long-haul routes, but in Australia we only see these during the summer months (and then not on all routes – for example, I can only see first class next summer on Sydney flights).

Plenty of award seat availability, including during the peak travel period

China Eastern mostly flies A330s to Australia, which unfortunately sport a dated 2-2-2 layout in business class (and no first class).

China Eastern A330 business class

On the airline’s Boeing 777s – which fly seasonally to Australia and are also seen on many routes to Europe and North America – business class has a more modern 1-2-1 layout.

China Eastern 777 business class

China Eastern 777 business class

The 777s also include first class “suites”, two of which can be converted into a “double bed”.

China Eastern 777 first class

China Eastern 777 first class “double bed”

A one-way flight from Sydney or Melbourne to Shanghai costs 78,000 points in business class or 114,000 points in first, plus modest taxes and fees.

The points cost between Brisbane and Shanghai is a little cheaper (65,000 points in business class; unlikely that first class will be offered).

A one-way flight from Australia to Europe or North America will set you back up to 139,000 in business class or 203,000 in first. You can also book a mixed business/first class fare, where the price will vary.

Note that for some odd reason, the Qantas website isn’t delivering results between Australia and some destinations. For example, seats don’t appear when searching for Melbourne-New York City, even though the airline flies there and seats are available.

You might be able to get around this glitch by using the multi-city tool to book. Simply search for each leg separately (i.e. Melbourne-Shanghai and then Shanghai-New York) and so long as the connection time is less than 24 hours, the fare will be priced as a standard one-way fare based on the total distance travelled.

You can also opt for a stopover in Shanghai, but then each flight will be priced separately.

Finally, I should add that I haven’t flown China Eastern before, but based on other travellers’ reviews, my impression is that the quality of the food, dining and service can be patchy. I wouldn’t expect the kind of polished service you’d normally get with Qantas partners like Japan Airlines or Cathay Pacific – but still, if this is the only option you have, go for it.

(Hat tip to Australian Frequent Flyer.)

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Last week I wrote about the news that Qantas Frequent Flyer members can now redeem Qantas Points to fly with Air Tahiti Nui on its Auckland and Los Angeles routes. This opens up a handy new way for Australians and New Zealanders to travel to Tahiti and California using their Qantas Points.

Air Tahiti Nui’s fleet currently comprises five old A340s, but these will soon be replaced by four new 787-9 Dreamliners. The first 787 is expected to arrive in October and the remainder by the end of 2019, at which time the advanced plane will fully take over all routes.

A couple of days ago, we finally got a glimpse of what the new Dreamliners will look like, via what appear to be authentic photos leaked on Twitter. First up, here is the aircraft livery: surely one of the beautiful designs in the sky.

And here’s a shot of the business class cabin, which will feature lie-flat seats in a 2-2-2 layout.

While 2-2-2 in business class is hardly ideal if you’re a solo passenger at a window seat, I’d guess that most people travelling to Tahiti will be couples or groups going on holiday. The seat is a significant improvement over the airline’s current A340 angled business class seats.

Ait Tahiti Nui is introducing premium economy with its new Dreamliners, which will feature a 2-3-2 layout.

Finally, here’s economy in a 3-3-3 layout, with a standard 31 inch pitch (distance from seat back to seat back).

What do you think? I am definitely inspired to book a trip to Tahiti using my Qantas Points!

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