Qantas is to introduce next generation check-in procedures from next year, covering initially its key domestic airports, by adapting its frequent flyer cards to act also as e-boarding cards.

I have been mulling over my relationship with Qantas. I have just achieved life time Gold status with them while also qualifying for my ninth year in a row as one of their Platinum fliers.

Air New Zealand’s chief executive has predicted that the airline’s yields per passenger would not improve until the end of next year – at the earliest. Rob Fyfe said although passenger demand had recovered slightly – reflected by improved forward bookings – average fares paid per passenger, or yields, remained weak. The carrier’s bookings have grown on a year-on-year basis over the past several months,

Qantas has become the latest airline to give a downbeat view of trading conditions despite being one of the few to post a profit – albeit small – for the first half of the year. The Australian flag carrier said the global outlook “remains uncertain” as it announced a fall in profits of 88% to £62.4 million. It follows numerous pieces of bad news for the aviation sector including a prediction by IATA that airlines are set to lose $11 billion this year.

Qantas Holidays has added over 50 cruises to its offering with an expanded range of 2009 and 2010 cruises across Australasia, Asia and the South Pacific. For the first time, Qantas Holidays will offer Fly-Cruise packages featuring cruises with departures from Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland and Singapore starting from £999 pp.

Qantas Freight today announced it would add a fourth US city – Dallas, Texas – to its freighter network from 6 August 2009*, providing air freight services between the southern US city, China and Australia.