VIRGIN Australia is introducing new “carrier charges” in connection with tickets booked using Velocity frequent flyer points, with the move effective for bookings from 01 Jan 2019.

The change mirrors long-standing practice by Qantas, which has for years imposed additional fees on redemption bookings.

In an email to Velocity members overnight Virgin said the changes were “in line with local industry practice,” with Velocity still remaining “very competitive and well below the price charged by our competitors”.

The carrier charge will apply to all Virgin Australia operated flights as well as Delta Air Lines operated and marketed services between Sydney and Los Angeles.

The carrier charge can be paid with points or a combination of points & cash, and will be applied during the booking process.

The fees vary depending on route, with the biggest impost being a $230 one way charge for Business class reward flights between Australia and LA, while Premium Economy will cost $145 and Economy $60 on LAX routes.

For domestic redemptions the carrier charge is $5.50 in Business class and $3.50 in Economy.

By contrast, Qantas domestic carrier charges are currently $14, while a Business class Australia-US points flight costs $335 in carrier charges one way.

MEANWHILE Virgin also announced changes to its loyalty relationship with Singapore Airlines, with the conversion rate between the programs changing to 1.55 Velocity points=1 KrisFlyer Mile on 01 Jan, reflecting the “differing reward program currencies” each airline program operates with.

VA also confirmed Air NZ would no longer be a Velocity airline partner effective from 28 Oct.

Source: traveldaily

WESTERN Australia will join other states in mounting an inquiry into the regulation of short-stay accommodation services like Airbnb, with the state’s government acknowledging current laws do not adequately cover the new sharing economy.

The WA Parliament’s Standing Committee on Economics and Industry has resolved to investigate the rules around short-term holiday letting in the state, taking into account issues including planning laws, licensing, registration and taxation.

The move has been backed by both sides of Parliament in what leaders say will be a bipartisan approach to the issue.

“I want to make sure that there is wide consultation and a bipartisan approach to reform in this industry,” said WA Planning Minister Rita Saffioti.

“This inquiry is an opportunity to have a committee of Parliament test ideas with the industry and to report back to Parliament and then government,” she said.

The inquiry follows similar processes by other states including a parliamentary investigation currently underway in Tasmania and a raft of new regulatory changes proposed in NSW (TD 08 Oct).

MEANWHILE, businesses emerging around short-term letting continue to evolve, with news today that specialist Airbnb property management company Hometime has acquired Sydney-based service provider Hey Tom.

With the acquisition, Hometime says it is the largest and fastest-growing provider in Australia.

The company says it allows Airbnb hosts to put their property “on auto-pilot” and is the only entity in Asia to gain Airbnb’s professional co-host status.

Source: traveldaily

AUSTRALIANS’ love-affair with overseas travel is showing little sign of abating, with the latest figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics showing “short-term resident returns” were up 6% in Aug 2018 compared to the previous corresponding period.

There were 916,200 movements by Australian residents during the month, with inbound arrivals also up 4.8% year-on-year to 771,700.

Indonesia was the most popular destination for outbound travel during the month, followed by New Zealand and then the USA, UK and Thailand.

Year-on-year, the fastest growing destinations were China, up 13.4%, and Singapore which was up 13.5%, while the only top 10 market to see a decline was Thailand, down 2.5%.

For inbound travellers the top source market was NZ, followed by China, Japan and the USA.

Source: traveldaily