The aviation industry is abuzz with news about a 'first full member airline recruit' for Oneworld - the scheduled press conference is confirmed in New York for 05 December 2018 and there is a possibility that Alaska Airlines may become a part of this alliance. This speculation was first spotted on Skift and it will become the alliance's second 'Oneworld Connect' member (apart from Fiji Airways) if the rumours are indeed true.

Since I had to be in Auckland for work and having been there on multiple occasions this year, I decided to spend the weekend in Melbourne instead. Getting from the city to the airport is relatively easy and there are affordable options out there if you are looking to save money. Alternatively, hopping on an Uber should cost you around AUD 55 which is reasonable since it takes you from door-to-door. Now I have already checked out the fairly-unimpressive Qantas International Business Lounge as well as what is perhaps my favourite Emirates Lounge here in Melbourne Airport (MEL) on a few occasions. As such, I decided to give the newly-opened Plaza Premium Lounge a go.

As part of the merger into Singapore Airlines, SilkAir will be transferring a number of routes into Scoot over the next two years. These planned changes are expected to take place from April 2019 and they are scheduled to complete by the second half of 2020. As part of the whole realignment, Scoot will also be transferring some of its services to existing destinations served by Singapore Airlines and SilkAir.

I recently traveled on flight SQ828 to Shanghai from Singapore and it was operated on a 777-300ER. The Business Class cabin has been retrofitted with the 2013 J products and the flight was wonderful!

Since I had a five hour layover in Melbourne Airport, I decided to check out the American Express Lounge at the Melbourne Airport. There are not too many American Express Lounges in this part of the world so I was fairly excited to check it out (this was my first visit!) after convincing myself to get The Platinum Card a couple of months ago. If you hold a Centurion or Platinum Charge Card from any country, you will be able to access this lounge alongside two guests. Otherwise, please refer to American Express to see which cards are eligible for access.

Even though I have visited the Qantas International Business Lounge on multiple occasions over the years, I have not actually spent much time in it until today. As I am booked on a flight to Auckland via Melbourne, I have a ridiculously long layover in the airport and amongst all the airports lounges that I have access to, the Qantas International Business Lounge is the only one with shower facilities. Therefore, I decided to stop by for a quick shower before checking out some of the other lounges.

When I flew back from Bangkok last weekend, I took the opportunity to check out the the SilverKris Lounge at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). The Singapore Airlines lounge which opened back in May 2017 is one of the most highly-rated SQ airport lounges in the region so I was actually pretty excited to check it out personally. There is a lack of signage in my opinion so if you are having trouble locating the lounge, it is actually located near to Gate D7.

Qantas to set to open a second lounge in Singapore Changi Airport - a brand new First Lounge that will offer seating for 240 customers as well as premium a la carte dining options with Asian-inspired menus. In addition to that, the airline will also be expanding the existing Business Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport. The development of the First Lounge is due to start in April 2019 and Qantas will be the only foreign airline (apart from Singapore Airlines) to open a First Lounge at Singapore Changi Airport.