CORPORATE TRAVEL
BOARDING PASS All the latest news for the busy EA organising corporate travel
Top honour for Emirates
Emirates has been named the ‘ World ’ s Best Airline ’ trumping 90 global carriers to take the top position from Telegraph Travel . The winner was determined from more than 30 criteria , including punctuality , baggage allowance , route network , quality of home airport , age of fleet , value of rewards program and tastiness of in-flight meals . Results were also calculated by referencing data from more than 18 independent and international awards , as well as readers ’ polls , ratings websites and expert reviews .
The judges said Emirates ticked almost every box , citing generous baggage allowances and punctuality as two key factors leading to its first-place status . They commented : “ Business class never disappoints and comes with a chauffeur to drive you to and from the airport , increasingly a rarity . First class has the finest wine list of any carrier – and showers . Its route network is also one of the biggest : 140 cities in 77 countries . It was voted the best longhaul carrier in the world by 30,000 Telegraph Travel readers .” S
VA and Air NZ back together
Virgin Australia and Air New Zealand ’ s trans-Tasman romance has been reignited with news of a new codeshare agreement . This means Virgin Australia customers will be able to directly book Air New Zealand flights into Auckland , Wellington and Christchurch , complementing VA ’ s Queenstown services . Virgin Velocity members will also be able to earn and redeem points while eligible members and guests will have access to lounges when flying across the Tasman .
Virgin Australia ’ s chief strategy and transformation officer , Alistair Hartley , said the long-awaited partnership will give Virgin Australia ’ s customers access to a comprehensive network between Australia and New Zealand . He explains : “ The regulators ’ endorsement reflects the strong consumer benefits the partnership will unlock , including greater value , choice and loyalty rewards for travellers across the Tasman .”
Mike Williams , Air New Zealand ’ s chief transformation and alliance officer , said the rekindled relationship will make it easier for more Australians to make the short hop across the ditch : “ We know our Aussie friends are a travel-hungry bunch , so whether it ’ s a quick weekend trip to catch up with family or wanting to explore more of New Zealand , this partnership provides further options for more Australians to visit beautiful Aotearoa .” S
Reward seats offering grows
If airline loyalty is important for your boss or company , you ’ ll be pleased to hear about Qantas ’ latest Frequent Flyer strategy . Here , members now have access to more than 20 million domestic and regional reward seats through its Classic Plus program . The points required to book Classic Plus reward seats vary like normal airfares . This means they are lower during offpeak periods or when booking early , and higher during peak times .
Launched in December , sale price domestic economy seats started from 5600 points for Sydney to Melbourne , 6700 points for Sydney to Byron
Bay , 6900 points for Melbourne to Launceston and 25,900 points for Melbourne to Perth ( for select travel dates ). It ’ s worth nothing that all reward seat bookings have an additional cash component of taxes , fees and carrier charges .
Qantas is also expanding the opportunity for members to use points on international flights . Tokyo , Singapore , London , Bali and Queenstown are the most popular Classic Plus routes . Here , nearly a third of bookings are made in First , Business and Premium Economy cabins .
Qantas Group ’ s CEO Vanessa Hudson said the expansion of Classic Plus to domestic flights is part of an additional $ 120 million investment Qantas is making for customers this financial year : “ Adding Classic Plus to domestic flights means frequent flyers will have more options to fly where they want , when they want , using their points which we know is an important part of rewarding them for their loyalty .”
She continues : “ Since we introduced Classic Plus to international flights , we have seen frequent flyers book more reward seats than ever before and the number of points earned and redeemed reach record numbers .” S
Summer Issue 2025 | Executive PA 41