WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 19 July, 2026

Hello travellers,

Greetings from Adelaide! I’m here visiting family and friends.

It’s the second of two short domestic trips this week. The previous one was to Canberra to view the Arthur Boyd tapestries at the National Gallery of Australia, where I also sampled the Virgin Australia Lounge.

What happened last week?

The start of the Oh Canada! Trip report with an introduction, checking in at Qantas First, and the First Lounge experience. Sydney Airport is also introducing a new paid option to skip the security queue, and Australia’s Arrival cards are finally going digital.

United Airlines is introducing a ‘more Elbow Room’ economy seat that looks suspiciously like European Business Class. Domestically, I review the Virgin Australia Canberra lounge.

Finally, on the airline front, Cathay Pacific is returning service to Adelaide with an increased schedule, and Air New Zealand is introducing a new Business Class seat to its Boeing 777s, which is different to what they are installing on their Dreamliner fleet. 

Next week

No travel planned for the rest of this month. I’ll be at home, catching up on some study and planning my next international trip.

Expect more posts from the Canada trip report to drop this week.

In the meantime, check your travel insurance is up to date, keep up your vaccinations, and travel safely.

Until next week . . .

Stephen

CATHAY PACIFIC: Adelaide to Hong Kong flights return for summer

By 2paxfly on 16 Jul 2026 5:27 pm

Cathay Pacific will return to Adelaide for another Southern Hemisphere summer season, this time offering up to five weekly non-stop flights to Hong Kong during the busiest holiday months. The service will operate from 10 November 2026 until 27 March 2027. There will be three flights each week during November and March, increasing to five […] Read in browser »

LOUNGE REVIEW: Canberra Virgin Australia Lounge

By 2paxfly on 16 Jul 2026 12:20 pm

I just had my first experience of the Canberra Virgin Australia Lounge. Yesterday, I spent time in Canberra seeing the Arthur Boyd tapestries at the National Gallery of Australia and the John Brack and Noel McKenna exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. I had one of those lingering credits with Virgin Australia which had to […] Read in browser »

UNITED AIRLINES: WTF! Adds European Business class rows to 321XLRs

By 2paxfly on 15 Jul 2026 6:47 pm

Oddly, that is not how United Airlines is promoting this ‘innovation’. They are adding the curse of European Business Class blocked-off centre seats. British Airways call this arrangement ‘Club Europe’. United is promoting it as ‘Economy Plus Seats with Extra Elbow Room. They should hang their heads in shame! A321XLR ‘special row’ All of United’s […] Read in browser »

AIR NEW ZEALAND: B777s are getting new business class suites, better than on new Dreamliners

By 2paxfly on 15 Jul 2026 11:53 am

Air New Zealand has revealed the replacement for the ageing Business Premier seats on its Boeing 777-300ERs. These older aircraft may end up with an off-the-shelf business class seat that many travellers will prefer to the bespoke product installed on its newer Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. From 2027, Air New Zealand’s seven long-term Boeing 777-300ERs (not […] Read in browser »

SYDNEY AIRPORT: Pay AU$20 to skip the international security queue

By 2paxfly on 15 Jul 2026 7:26 am

Passengers departing from the T1 International Terminal can now pay AU$20 per person for access to a priority queue at the main security checkpoint, regardless of airline, travel class, or Frequent Flyer status. The new SYD Fast Track service effectively opens Sydney Airport’s existing Priority Entry pathway to any international passenger prepared to pay for […] Read in browser »

LOUNGE REVIEW: Qantas First check-in and Lounge, Sydney

By 2paxfly on 14 Jul 2026 8:10 am

This is the second instalment of my Oh Canada! Trip Report. I’m lucky that many of my international trips start at Sydney Airport at the Qantas First Check-in facility. And that is closely followed by a visit to the Qantas First Lounge. That was the case this day, with my outward flight on Qantas from […] Read in browser »

AUSTRALIA: Goodbye orange arrival card. Digital passenger declarations go national

By 2paxfly on 13 Jul 2026 10:15 am

That mid-flight scramble for a pen, finding your flight number, address in Australia, and other details will soon be over. Wondering if you need to declare that wooden statue/shell necklace you bought in Bali/Fiji (you do). Not to mention declaring that jar of home-grown honey your aunt gave you in Britain/Greece/Turkey. The Australian Commonwealth government […] Read in browser »

TRIP REPORT: Oh Canada! Introduction

By 2paxfly on 13 Jul 2026 9:18 am

This is my most recent trip, completed in June 2026. It’s my first time in Canada, and we crossed the country from Vancouver on the West Coast to St John’s on the East Coast. The trip lasted about three weeks. This trip was in paid Business Class on Qantas and Air Canada. I expect to […] Read in browser »

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