Airline slashes flight prices in huge sale
A major airline has announced a mammoth one-week sale, giving Aussie travellers the chance to escape the winter chill for a bargain price.
Qantas is set to drop prices on return flights to Asian hotspots including Bali, Singapore, and Tokyo to as low as $519, with more than 100,000 discounted seats to be available. A major airline has announced a mammoth one-week sale for popular destinations across Asia. NewsWire / Ben Clark Credit: News Corp Australia
The airline says the sale coincides with some of Asia's biggest events and festivals, including the Edogawa, Ōme City and Sumidagawa fireworks festivals in Japan in July.
Sightseers can also catch the Hong Kong Wine and Dine Festival and the Halloween Street Party in Lan Kwai Fong throughout late October, or escape the chilly weather by booking a tropical getaway to Bali.
Economy return flights from Melbourne to Bali start at just $599, Brisbane to Manila from $829 and Sydney to Hong Kong from $929.
There are also flights from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane to Bangkok starting at $929 and to Bengaluru from $949, with return flights departing Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney to Tokyo starting from $949. The sale includes return flights to Japan from just NewsWire / David Swift Credit: News Corp Australia
Qantas chief executive officer of international Cam Wallace said the airline was 'excited to be offering some great deals (from Tuesday) across almost our entire Asia network'.
'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,' he said.
'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 sale will run from May 13 to midnight on May 19, and includes checked baggage, meals, beverages and entertainment on flights departing between June 1, 2025 and March 31, 2026.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
37 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
37 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.
Perth Now
an hour ago
- Perth Now
‘Money back': Lambie's rogue reply to US demand
Australia should be looking to cut 'waste' in the Australian Defence Force before looking to pump more cash into it, independent senator Jacqui Lambie says. Senator Lambie on Monday reacted to the Trump administration calling on Canberra to boost the defence budget amid increased Chinese aggression the Indo-Pacific. A veteran and fierce advocate for the ADF, Senator Lambie quipped that the Albanese government should 'just ask Donald Trump to give us their money back for our submarines mate'. Senator Jacqui Lambie says Australia should cut ADF 'waste' before boosting the defence budget. NewsWire / Martin Ollman Credit: News Corp Australia 'It'd be nice to lift our defence spending – there is no doubt about that,' she told Sky News. 'Things are pretty tough out there at the moment, but I think it's more the waste. 'We waste so much money in defence procurement, and that's where we should be looking.' Senator Lambie pointed to the drawn-out build timelines for the AUKUS submarines. Under the trilateral defence pact, Australia is set to build five of the nuclear-powered boats in South Australia. The first is expected to be finished by the early 2040s. 'You've only got to see those submarines,' Senator Lambie said. 'Four billion dollars so far – we haven't got one scrap of bloody steel sitting in a harbour yet ready to go. 'I mean, that is just disgusting waste at its best.' Washington's call for Australia to step up military spending came from a bilateral meeting between Defence Minister Richard Marles and his US defence counterpart Pete Hegseth. The two senior officials met over the weekend on the sidelines of the Shangri La Dialogue in Singapore over the weekend. In a read out, the US Embassy said the two senior officials 'discussed aligning investment to the security environment in the Indo-Pacific, accelerating US force posture initiatives in Australia, advancing defence industrial base co-operation, and creating supply chain resilience'. 'On defence spending, Secretary Hegseth conveyed that Australia should increase its defence spending to 3.5 per cent of its GDP as soon as possible,' the embassy said. Mr Hegseth used his address at the Shangri La Dialogue to warn of an 'imminent' threat from China, saying Beijing could invade Taiwan as early as 2027. Such a move would deal a major blow to global supply of semiconductors and likely massively disrupt vital trade routes. 'Let me be clear, any attempt by Communist China to conquer Taiwan by force would result in devastating consequences for the Indo-Pacific and the world,' Mr Hegseth told the conference. 'There's no reason to sugar-coat it. The threat China poses is real and it could be imminent. 'We hope not but certainly could be.' China has criticised the United States for inciting tensions at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. This comes after US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth warned allies at the summit that any attempt by China to conquer Taiwan would result in devastating consequences. A Chinese spokesperson responded to this, saying Beijing would continue to seek dialogue – however, Mr Hegseth's comments were inciting division and would destabilise the region. Asked what Australia could do in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan, Senator Lambie replied: 'I don't know, have you seen the size of the Chinese army? 'That's the first thing, and the second thing is this – have you seen the condition that ours is in?' 'We have a personnel crisis in our military, and something needs to be done. 'The only way young people are going to go and join is when people in that uniform go out there and brag how great that job (is).' She said the recruitment crisis was 'the biggest problem you have with our national security right now'. 'People do not want to join defence, and people do not want to stay in,' Senator Lambie said. She also said Australian troops were 'not in the condition to being in a war zone'. Labor has pushed back against Mr Hegseth's call to lift the defence budget, with Anthony Albanese saying his government was already spending record amounts on the military. Assistant Foreign Affairs Minister Matt Thistlethwaite on Monday echoed the Prime Minister. 'We are increasing our defence spending over the course of the next three years,' Mr Thistlethwaite told Sky News. 'Defence spending increases by about 10½ billion dollars and about $50bn over the course of the next decade.' Mr Thistlethwaite added that the Albanese government was increasing defence spending to '2½ per cent of GDP', including through AUKUS. The Trump administration's demand came just days after a leading defence think tank said Australia must bolster its immediate readiness to go to war or risk having a 'paper ADF'. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute warned that while Labor was spending on longer-term projects it was not pumping nearly enough cash into keeping Australia combat-ready in the near term.
