<p>Have you ever wondered how airline alliances or hotel loyalty programs work behind the scenes?</p> <p>In this episode, Matt is joined by an expert in loyalty programs, former Malaysia Airlines Enrich CEO and current StatusMatch.com CEO Mark Ross-Smith for a chat about the world of airline alliances.</p> <p>Find out what airlines need to do in order to join an airline alliance such as Oneworld, Star Alliance or SkyTeam, the pros &#38; cons for airlines, and what happens if an airline wants to leave an alliance.</p> <p>The discussion also covers priority boarding, Qantas lifetime status, the strange relationship between Qantas and Qatar Airways, the latest airline status matching trends, and more!</p> <p>Episode contents:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>1:29 &#8211; Fortnightly news round-up</li> <li>11:41 &#8211; Interview with Mark Ross-Smith</li> </ul> <p>Links:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/community/threads/aff-on-air-discussion-thread.92436/">AFF on Air Discussion thread</a> &#8211; a dedicated AFF thread to discuss the podcast and ask questions</li> <li><a href="https://frequentflyer.com.au/member/webinars/">Frequent Flyer Solutions webinars</a></li> </ul> <p><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/aff-gazette/">Frequent Flyer Gazette</a> articles referenced in the fortnightly news round-up:</p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/qantas-tightens-lounge-guest-eligibility/">Qantas Tightens Lounge Guest Eligibility</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/velocity-off-peak-reward-seat-pricing/">Velocity’s New Peak &#38; Off-Peak Reward Seat Pricing</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/ola-waves-goodbye-velocity-partnership/">Ola Waves Goodbye to Velocity Partnership</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/qantas-boarding-groups/">Qantas to Introduce Boarding Groups</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/qantas-wifi-select-international-flights/">Qantas Launches Free Wifi on Select International Flights</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/virgin-baggage-tracking/">Virgin Australia Introduces Real-Time Baggage Tracking</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/rex-expands-jet-network-to-hobart/">Rex Expands Jet Network to Hobart</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/accc-australia-flight-compensation-scheme/">ACCC Backs Flight Delay Compensation Scheme in Australia</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/woolworths-devalues-everyday-extra/">Woolworths Devalues Everyday Extra</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/ba-premium-business-availability-singapore/">Great BA Premium &#38; Business Award Availability to Singapore</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/qantas-expands-international-network-2023/">Huge Qantas International Network Expansion in 2023</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/qantas-finnair-a330-lease/">Qantas to Lease Finnair A330s for Singapore, Bangkok Flights</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/batik-air-malaysia-perth-auckland/">Batik Air Malaysia to Fly Perth-Auckland</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.australianfrequentflyer.com.au/virgin-boeing-737-700-tokyo/">Virgin to Fly Boeing 737-700s to Tokyo</a></li> </ul>