Qantas launches massive one-week sale to popular Asian destinations from $517
Australians looking to escape the chilly winter months are in luck, with a major airline launching a huge sale on flights to Asia.
Qantas on Tuesday kicked off a one-week flash sale to popular destinations across the region, with fares starting from $517 return.
More than 100,000 seats are available to hotspots including Tokyo, Singapore, Bali, Hong Kong and Bangkok.
Return fares from Sydney start at $768 to Singapore, $799 to Jakarta, $928 to Bangkok, and $929 to Hong Kong.
The deal covers travel from May through to March 2026, with Qantas saying the dates coincide with major events and festivals across Asia, including Japan's spectacular Edogawa, Ome City and Sumidagawa fireworks festivals in July.
Qantas chief executive officer Cam Wallace said the airline was thrilled to launch the discounts.
'We know how much our customers love our international sales, and we're excited to be offering some great deals today across almost our entire Asia network,' he said.
'Whether it's chasing the sun in Bali, exploring the street food scene in Hong Kong or visiting friends and family, there's something here for everyone.
'These travel dates also line up with some great events and festivals across Asia, making it the perfect time to start planning a getaway.'
The Red Tail Sale runs until 11.59pm on May 19, unless sold out earlier.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
West Australian
29 minutes ago
- West Australian
Matt Thistlethwaite questioned over the number of Aussies impacted by Labor government's proposed super tax
Politicians have clashed over the number of Australians that will be caught up in Labor's proposed super tax. Labor MP and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Matt Thistlethwaite was pressed over the Albanese government's proposal to roll back concessions on ultra-high super balances and tax unrealised gains that would penalise younger generations in the future. The plan, one of the government's key economic policies, will hit those with more than $3m in their superannuation accounts with an extra 15 per cent tax – initially forecast to be about 80,000 people by 2025-26 – on top of the 15 per cent all super fund members are taxed on their earnings. That number has now jumped to up to 1.2 million Australians, significantly more than the original figure. '1.2 million Australians in the long run – that's not the small amount you've all been saying,' Sky News' Pete Stefanovic questioned Mr Thistlethwaite on Monday morning. 'Well, this is a policy … that's aimed at ensuring that we got fairness and equity in our taxation system,' Mr Thistlewaite began, before being cut off swiftly by Stefanovic: 'How's that fair if the PM gets a pass?' The proposal has come under fire for the inclusion of 'special rules' that would exempt Anthony Albanese until after the Prime Minister retires. Mr Thistlewaite continued: 'Everyone who's on a defined benefit scheme will be treated the same. That's the basis of it. 'Regardless of your occupation, where you live, (everyone) will all pay the same … at the moment, some people can divert money from income to avoid paying income taxation into superannuation to get a concessional rate. 'Now the average teacher, the average childcare worker or emergency services worker can't do that, so we just want to make sure that the system is fair and equitable, and everyone pays their fair share of tax.' The $3m figure will not be indexed, leaving about 1.2 million people within 30 years liable for the tax, Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino revealed last month. Liberal senator Hollie Hughes accused the government of not considering the 'unintended consequences'. 'I had dinner with a small-business owner last week whose office building is part of a superannuation plan, and her message to me was incredibly clear that if this goes ahead she does not know what she can do because this is something that the business is invested in, she's invested in,' Senator Hughes said. 'It's her business, and now, because of the increase in property prices she doesn't know if she can afford to pay a tax on an unrealised gain.' She said the tax would come 'knocking on the doors' of everyday Australians, especially small business owners and farmers. Questioned again about the confirmed number of Australians to be impacted by the tax, Mr Thistlethwaite said: 'Initially, it's a very small it's a very small number of Australians, less than 0.5 per cent of the population. 'I think we got to realise we're only talking about (balances) above $3m, and we're talking about something that hasn't been legislated yet, but at the moment people have the choice. 'They can pay their income tax or they can divert it into superannuation to get a concession.' He said the Labor government would 'work' with the opposition if it were prepared to be 'fair and reasonable'. The tax is proposed to take effect from the start of the next financial year, July 1.
Perth Now
31 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Real number of Aussies hit by super tax
Politicians have clashed over the number of Australians that will be caught up in Labor's proposed super tax. Labor MP and Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Matt Thistlethwaite was pressed over the Albanese government's proposal to roll back concessions on ultra-high super balances and tax unrealised gains that would penalise younger generations in the future. The plan, one of the government's key economic policies, will hit those with more than $3m in their superannuation accounts with an extra 15 per cent tax – initially forecast to be about 80,000 people by 2025-26 – on top of the 15 per cent all super fund members are taxed on their earnings. That number has now jumped to up to 1.2 million Australians, significantly more than the original figure. '1.2 million Australians in the long run – that's not the small amount you've all been saying,' Sky News' Pete Stefanovic questioned Mr Thistlethwaite on Monday morning. Matt Thistlethwaite said the proposal was to ensure 'fairness and equity' in the Australian taxation system. NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'Well, this is a policy … that's aimed at ensuring that we got fairness and equity in our taxation system,' Mr Thistlewaite began, before being cut off swiftly by Stefanovic: 'How's that fair if the PM gets a pass?' The proposal has come under fire for the inclusion of 'special rules' that would exempt Anthony Albanese until after the Prime Minister retires. Mr Thistlewaite continued: 'Everyone who's on a defined benefit scheme will be treated the same. That's the basis of it. 'Regardless of your occupation, where you live, (everyone) will all pay the same … at the moment, some people can divert money from income to avoid paying income taxation into superannuation to get a concessional rate. 'Now the average teacher, the average childcare worker or emergency services worker can't do that, so we just want to make sure that the system is fair and equitable, and everyone pays their fair share of tax.' The $3m figure will not be indexed, leaving about 1.2 million people within 30 years liable for the tax, Assistant Treasurer Daniel Mulino revealed last month. Liberal senator Hollie Hughes accused the government of not considering the 'unintended consequences'. Liberal senator Hollie Hughes accused the government of not considering 'unintended consequences'. NCA NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'I had dinner with a small-business owner last week whose office building is part of a superannuation plan, and her message to me was incredibly clear that if this goes ahead she does not know what she can do because this is something that the business is invested in, she's invested in,' Senator Hughes said. 'It's her business, and now, because of the increase in property prices she doesn't know if she can afford to pay a tax on an unrealised gain.' She said the tax would come 'knocking on the doors' of everyday Australians, especially small business owners and farmers. Questioned again about the confirmed number of Australians to be impacted by the tax, Mr Thistlethwaite said: 'Initially, it's a very small it's a very small number of Australians, less than 0.5 per cent of the population. Treasurer Jim Chalmers was accused of writing 'special rules' that exempt Prime Minister Anthony Albanese from Labor's super tax. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'I think we got to realise we're only talking about (balances) above $3m, and we're talking about something that hasn't been legislated yet, but at the moment people have the choice. 'They can pay their income tax or they can divert it into superannuation to get a concession.' He said the Labor government would 'work' with the opposition if it were prepared to be 'fair and reasonable'. The tax is proposed to take effect from the start of the next financial year, July 1.
Perth Now
31 minutes ago
- Perth Now
‘Days limited': Bank's huge security call
The fifth largest lender in Australia has highlighted the security risk of two-factor authentication models through texts, calling the technology outdated. According to Macquarie, traditional SMS two-factor authentication (2FA) – which is widely used in Australian banking – relies on insecure technology and often provides limited information. Macquarie Bank head of deposits Olivia McArdle said the lack of detail in these messages means recipients may not know what they are approving and can't distinguish whether the action was initiated by the customer or a scammer. Macquarie Bank says two-factor authentication (2FA) – which is widely used in Australian banking – relies on insecure technology and often provides limited information. NewsWire / Morgan Sette Credit: News Corp Australia 'We think the days of Australian banks relying solely on SMS to verify customer account activity are numbered,' she said. The warning comes a month after the major super funds announced cyber breaches, but have yet to make models such as the 2FA standard. In the March, hackers were able to gain access to five of the largest super funds in Australia through 'credential stuffing' – which involves stolen usernames and passwords which are sold on the dark web. The attackers exploit the fact that people often repeatedly use the same passwords for different accounts, with security measures such as multi-factor authentication (MFA) helping to slow down these types of cyber attacks. Australians were reported ripped off through their superannuation. NewsWire / Nicholas Eagar Credit: NewsWire Super Consumer Australia chief executive Xavier O'Halloran said the breach follows consistent warnings from regulators and consumer advocates around superannuation funds lagging behind on cyber-resilience and fraud protection. 'Australians are legally required to put their money into super. Today's news is chilling when we know super funds aren't doing enough to protect Australians' retirement savings,' Mr O'Halloran said. 'When something goes wrong, too many people are being left without support, answers, or access to their own money.' Macquarie Bank said Australians are demanding more security than 2FA via a text message. 'The vulnerabilities are clear and customers, who are seeing the risks themselves, are voting with their feet,' Ms McArdle said. There have been consistent warnings from regulators and consumer advocates around superannuation funds lagging behind on cyber-resilience and fraud protection. NewsWire/ Gaye Gerard Credit: News Corp Australia Five tips to watch when using SMS for 2FA Macquarie say while there needs to be more done, there are a few things Australians can watch out for to stay safe. 1. Check the detail: Due to the limitations of SMS 2FA, Aussies might not know exactly what they are approving and should not take action unless you have full confidence the 2. Impersonation scams: Scammers may impersonate your bank, urgently requesting authorisation codes via SMS to stop a scam but will actually use these codes to compromise a device. 3. Spoofing: Scammers may trick you into sharing personal or financial details via SMS. These fraudulent messages typically contain links to fake websites that prompt victims to share their sensitive banking data, with Australians urged not to click on links in a text. 4. Pop-up SMS: Scammers can deliver a pop-up or flash SMS to your phone. These appear directly on your lock screen and are not saved to your inbox to prevent them from being reported or traced. 5. Phone porting: Although this scam has reduced in prevalence, scammers can in some instances illegally transfer your phone number to another telecommunications provider without your consent. This enables them to receive all your messages and use this access to compromise your account.
