WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday, 25 January, 2026
Hello travellers,
Greetings from a very warm Sydney. I’m enjoying Summer, and making plans to escape to Europe in our Autumn.
Most people in Australia have completed their Summer holidays and are back at work. This post-holiday period is a good time to monitor airfares for specials, and to plan for the usual, but not guaranteed, Qantas Double Status Credits and Points promotion.
What happened last week?
This month has seen the debut arrival of a Gulfstream 800 jet in Sydney, owned by Fox Corporation and Lachlan Murdoch.
Qantas flights have been more punctual than Virgin Australia’s, but only if they haven’t been cancelled. Qantas is also subject to new availability rules for Emirates First Class points redemptions, which are now more expensive and restricted to premium, adult passengers.
The favourite aircraft of long-haul passengers, the A380, is coming back at Etihad, with another superjumbo hitting the skies.
Next week
Another week to be spent in Sydney. I’m enjoying my time at home and doing a bit of pottering about.
Don’t forget that wearing masks helps prevent the transmission of airborne diseases. I encourage travellers to wear them over the holidays, especially in crowded places such as airports, lounges and on flights.
Until next week . . .
Stephen
2PAXfly
GULFSTREAM 800: New Murdoch aircraft the first of its type to land in Sydney
By 2paxfly on 23 Jan 2026 4:54 pm
Joe Aston’s (authority on Alan Joyce’s leadership at Qantas) website and newsletter Rampart is reporting that Lauchlan Murdoch’s new toy plane, a Gulfstream 800 (N888NC), arrived in Sydney this month. It’s the first of this new version of the businessman’s plaything to land in Sydney. The aircraft departed Gulfstream’s Savannah base on January 6, made […]
ON-TIME PERFORMANCE: Qantas more punctual, but cancels more flights than Virgin Australia
By 2paxfly on 23 Jan 2026 12:34 pm
The latest government data released by BITRE (Bureau of Infrastructure and Transport Research Economics) has delivered a familiar but still uncomfortable truth for Australia’s airlines. Qantas is cancelling twice as many domestic flights as its main rival, Virgin Australia. It achieves that while outperforming other airlines on punctuality once the aircraft actually get airborne. According […]
QANTAS/EMIRATES: Tougher to get first class awards. More points and more strings attached
By 2paxfly on 22 Jan 2026 3:04 pm
If you’ve been quietly eyeing off an Emirates First Class splurge using Qantas Frequent Flyer points, you may be too late. Or, at least it will cost you more and come with more conditions you need to fulfil. Emirates has been tightening the rules around its Emirates Skywards scheme. Transfer ratios have worsened, access to […]
![Etihad The Residence, A380 [Etihad]](https://www.2paxfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/etihad-a380-residence-1.jpg)
ETIHAD: A380 comeback gathers momentum as next superjumbo flies from storage
By 2paxfly on 21 Jan 2026 5:58 pm
Etihad Airways has just brought another A380 out of long-term storage, making its superjumbo revival firmly part of the airline’s long-term strategy. Another giant wakes up Etihad’s Airbus A380 A6-APC departed Tarbes-Lourdes-Pyrénées Airport in southwestern France on January 14, flying back to Abu Dhabi after years in storage. According to flight-tracking data from Flightradar24, the […]
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