Qantas announced a suite of changes today. Primary among them, if you’re a fan of first-class, is the A380’s return to Melbourne.

This comes as Qantas adds another four weekly return flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles with its 787s (it currently runs four, meaning they’ve doubled the service). The additional flights are to start operating this week.

Qantas’ refurbished A380s will “resume operating some of these flights to LA from December,” Qantas announced today, “marking the return of Qantas’ superjumbo and reintroduction of First Class to Melbourne.”

The A380s have an updated business class cabin, with 70 updated suites, a Premium Economy section almost double the size it used to be, and refreshed Economy and First cabins.

Qantas explains: “The upper deck lounge (open to Business and First passengers) has been expanded and upgraded with booth style seating for 10 people, a self-service bar and an option to order signature drinks and snacks.”

The airline adds: “Thirty Economy seats were removed to make room for more premium seating.”

Qantas also shared that Melbourne’s tourism recovery is due to increase with Qantas launching a new direct route from Dallas Fort Worth.

“From 2 December 2022, the national carrier will operate four weekly return flights between Melbourne and major US hub, Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), with its Boeing 787 Dreamliners,” Qantas announced today.

“These are the first direct flights by any airline between the two cities and follows the success of Qantas’ longstanding Sydney-Dallas Fort Worth route.”

Qantas News Room

Fares are on sale from today starting from $2,128, the airline pointed out.

The Qantas Melbourne International Business Lounge today reopened too, having been shut since the start of the pandemic.

Qantas also announced that the Melbourne First Lounge, which operated as a hybrid First/Business Lounge during the pandemic, “has reverted to the full premium offering.”

In Sydney, meanwhile, you can already jump on a refurbished A380 flight to LA, as of yesterday, from about $6,000 to $11,000 (depending on which kind of first-class fare you book).

Executive Traveller reports, too, that Qantas will relaunch its Sydney-Singapore-London A380 flights on June the 19th.

Today Qantas also announced four new domestic routes – Adelaide-Newcastle, Brisbane-Wagga Wagga, Darwin-Townsville and Darwin-Cairns.

• First Class Passengers Mourn Loss Of ‘Most Luxurious Cabin In The Sky’
• The Day I Realised The Golden Age Of Business Class Was Over 

The post Qantas Announces Suite Of Changes For Australian Travellers appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Chris Rock, the comedian and actor, was presenting an award at the 94th Academy Awards – the prestigious awards ceremony took place today and has just finished – and made a joke about Jada Pinkett-Smith, wife of Will Smith.

The joke Rock made was that he “couldn’t wait” to see the sequel of G.I Jane, mocking Pinkett Smith’s shaved head but Smith couldn’t see the funny side – probably because Pinkett Smith suffers from ​​alopecia; a medical condition that causes hair loss – and so, in response, Smith stormed the stage and hit Rock in the face.

Smith then returned to his seat and Rock exclaimed, “Will Smith just smacked the shit out of me.” Smith then angrily yells from his seat at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out [of] your f**king mouth!”

Rock, a consummate professional, composed himself and responded (after a few moments): “That was the greatest night in the history of television,” and then resumed presenting and announcing the winners of the next award.

At first, some on Twitter believed that it must have been staged but shortly after the incident occurred, Smith won the Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role and actually apologised during his acceptance speech, saying that “Love will make you do crazy things,” and joking, “I hope the Academy invites me back.”

On the other hand, the hashtag ‘arrest Will Smith’ is now trending and many Twitter users are calling Smith’s assault completely unacceptable, and Smith then winning an Oscar and receiving a standing ovation for his win, ‘disgusting’.

Others feared what it means for comedy.

MY TAKE: Chris Rock’s joke was offensive and in poor taste. Will Smith had every right to call him out. HOWEVER, comedians should NEVER have to fear violence in response to jokes they make, even bad ones. That’s worse. But hopefully they can apologize to each other afterwards.

— Lane (@laneproctor) March 28, 2022

Damn. Will Smith should be charged. Next year every comedian will decline for fear of offending someone & get assaulted https://t.co/dbF6SJ5J5p

— whyme (@whymeintheMtns) March 28, 2022

No matter how you look at it, Will Smith disgraced himself tonight. If you don’t agree with a person’s comedy, that’s not how you handle it. Chris Rock, I commend him for how he handled that situation. Comedians will not be silenced by fear or violence. #oscars

— Dan Ginn (@danginncreates) March 28, 2022

You can watch the entire altercation between Smith and Rock below:

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The post Will Smith Finds Himself Between A Rock & A Hard Place appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Whether you dream of jet setting in a private jet, or jettisoning your material possessions and working in a monastery, we all, typically, dream of a stress-free holiday.

Enter: Hamish Blake. One of Australia’s most loved radio presenters (and now a podcaster/TV presenter). Hamish recently took to Instagram to share a simple holiday hack more Australians should implement.

That hack? Protect your time. Go back to your wagging school roots. Skip out on real-life. How? Block out a set of dates in your diary and, when they approach, tell people you have an immovable commitment.

The key to Hamish’s genius, though, we reckon, is to pick a classic holiday no one can question – camping.

Here’s how Hamish explained how you can “wag” real life for a little bit, even as an adult.

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A post shared by Hamish Blake (@hamishblakeshotz)

“Just back from 5 days camping with my boy roaming some spots on the central coast of NSW. Lots of dirt in the sleeping bags, fair bit in the breakfast, lots of Dad pretending he knows how to 4WD on sand (made it through thanks to some local legends offering tips and light heckling), lots of walkie talkies from the front seat to the back seat (a must), time spend learning about the country and Aboriginal culture, hours of fire management, but mostly, just being together. Magic.”

“Yes it involved some light wagging of school on his part (and of real life on my part) but I’m a big believer that you have to make time for things like this in advance or they don’t happen.”

Hamish Blake

He added: “I blocked this out at the start of the year and I reckon 20 things popped up for this week that I was able to say ‘sorry, I’m away camping’ to, and people can’t really argue with that (especially since it’s well known I’m a professional camper).”

“But if we hadn’t protected the time, the week would never come. I guess this is just me popping this out there in case you had the seed of a similar idea in your head. Doesn’t have to be grand, just needs a little time invested. Memory making is always worth it.”

Though this approach can’t guarantee you’ll have a stress free holiday (with regards to things that crop up during your travels) it at least means stress from your day to day life can’t creep in and ruin it.

How’s your next sneaky getaway plan coming along?

• Hamish Blake Reveals How Growing A Beard Changed His Life
• The Secret Hotel Room ‘Tool’ Literally Everyone Uses Wrong

The post Hamish Blake Urges Australians To Wag Work, Take Sneaky Holidays appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Yes, awards season is once again upon us and the 94th Academy Awards is well underway. The star-studded event saw multiple celebrities hit the Oscars’ red carpet in serious style. So, without further ado, here are the best-dressed men at this year’s Oscars:

The post The Best Dressed Men At The 2022 Oscars appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Not many twenty-six-year-olds can say they’ve been nominated for multiple prestigious acting awards like an Academy Award, a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a BAFTA, but Timothée Chalamet can.

Chalamet – who’s been acting since he was a child – had his breakout role in Call Me By Your Name back in 2017 and has quickly become a household name.

One of Chalamet’s most recent roles though is that of Paul Atreides, in the critically acclaimed film adaptation of Dune; which is nominated for a whopping ten Oscars (and has already won four of those ten, so far) at today’s 94th Academy Awards.

Dune’s most exciting nomination, of course, is for the coveted Best Picture Award but the film is going up against another film that Chalamet appeared in, Don’t Look Up – meaning Chalamet has rather good odds of being involved with a Best Picture-winning film.

Before the Oscars kicked off, Chalamet hit the red carpet wearing a black-sequinned Louis Vuitton cropped blazer paired with tailored black pants, boots, a silver necklace and statement rings.

The Dune & Don’t Look Up star – known for sporting bolder red carpet looks – also chose to forgo a shirt, ultimately giving him a sophisticated meets rock n’ roll look.

Even if Dune or Don’t Look Up doesn’t win Best Picture today – and despite that Chalamet himself is not nominated for any acting Oscars this year – Chalamet will at least be taking home one award; as his daring look has definitely earned him best dressed.

• And The Best Dressed Man At The 73rd Emmys Is… Jason Sudeikis
• Ryan Reynolds Hits The Red Carpet In A Suit Fit For A King

The post Timothée Chalamet Goes Shirtless At The Oscars appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

How much does it really cost to have your own private jet like Dan Bilzerian? And we’re not just talking about buying the thing: we’re talking running costs, airport usage, storage, maintenance and so on.

Before we get into all that, first, let’s take a look at whether Dan Bilzerian really owns a jet. Why? In this Instagram Age, where influencers routinely stage photo shoots in (rented-by-the-hour) private jets, it’s a fair question to ask.

Bilzerian certainly travels by private jet – and quite often too. He’s shared photos of himself on (or nearby) a private jet on various occasions, enjoying such activities as poker, watching TV (while surrounded by scantily clad models), smoking, eating green beans and carrots and sleeping “with my sister wives.”

He’s certainly a believer in the “life’s about the journey” philosophy.

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A post shared by Dan Bilzerian (@danbilzerian)

Webpage Superyacht Fan claims Bilzerian has a 1987 Gulfstream GIV worth $6 million. The Travel website also makes this claim. A Reddit user in the online forum’s No/Stupid/Questions community once claimed: “Yes it’s a gulfstream he purchased it in 2014 after winning a ‘poker match.'”

Let’s assume this is true Bilzerian owns a private jet (we haven’t heard anything to the contrary, anyway). Here’s what it costs to have a private jet (one you own, not a charter you pay for).

According to Liberty Jet, the yearly budget for flying a Gulfstream IV private jet 200 hours per year is approximately $1,398,875 or $2,232,913 for flying 400 hours per year.

Liberty Jet states: “The maximum speed of the Gulfstream IV is 552 mph, but with slower climb, cruise and descending speeds it is more likely to average 442 mph which would equate to an average cost per mile of approximately $15.84 at 200 hours per year.”

Liberty Jet adds: “If you fly 400 hours per year, you can spread the total fixed costs over more flight hours which reduces your cost per mile to $12.64.”

RELATED: French Woman Infuriates Business Class Snobs With ‘Shameless’ Behaviour

According to Aircraft Cost Calculator, “depending on numerous factors, the average price for a pre-owned Gulfstream GIV is $2,705,700.00.”

The online calculator tool adds: “A $1,352,850.00 loan over 120 months including $5636.88 per month in interest equates to a $67,836.92 per-period payment.”

“Based on 450 annual owner-operated hours and $5.12-per-gallon fuel cost, the Gulfstream GIV has total variable costs of $2,154,780.00, total fixed costs of $183,346.00, and an annual budget of $2,338,126.00. This breaks down to $5,195.84 per hour.”

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A post shared by Dan Bilzerian (@danbilzerian)

As for how much it costs to own your own private jet in general, there are a broad array of entry costs to consider, depending on the price of the jet your buy.

Smaller jets, like the entry-level category of private jets, Very Light Jets, can be cheaper to purchase upfront, but then more expensive down the line, if you aspire to fly long distances or with a decent payload.

The Williams FJ series, for instance, are not as popular as people thought they were going to be, because they are slower and have a smaller load capacity than other private jets.

According to The Drive, “The Cirrus Vision SF50, the cheapest of the VLJs, has a single Williams FJ33 jet engine, cruises at 300 knots (over 150 knots less than the CJ4) and can seat seven, including the cockpit seats, in tight quarters.”

RELATED: What It Costs To Casually Rent A Private Jet & Fly Across The World

The Drive adds: “The entry price is competitive, around $2 million brand new. Owners expect to spend an average of $40,000 a year on maintenance and support costs. The SF50 holds 295 gallons and can reduce consumption to 47 gallons per hour if you’re willing to cruise at 242 knots, which is turboprop speed. With full tanks, the SF50 holds $1,770 of fuel at $6 per gallon.”

“Altogether, with purchase financing payments, an SF50 owner can spend $400,000 a year.”

The Drive

The Drive also reports that light jets like the Cessna Citation CJ4 are very popular, and that the typical cost of a lightly used CJ4 is currently around $6.5 million.

“Depending on the type of purchase and finance options, monthly payments of $20,000 to $100,000 are common. Maintenance inspections requirements cost an annual average of $55,000 over five years for a CJ4, but rise and fall depending on what inspections are due that year.”

The Drive

Another option when it comes to private jet maintenance is to join a program that has a set hourly price for engine maintenance and inspections.

RELATED: Private Jet Party Learns Hard Way What Counts As ‘Essential’ Travel

There are also (almost) always unforeseen repairs. Investopedia states that a blown tire on a private jet can cost between $2,000 to $3,000 to replace. Private jet owners also have to take into account the cost of storing their aircraft in a hangar, as well as paying their crew. Oh, and you’d better not forget aircraft insurance.

Investopedia reports: “As a rule of thumb, you can expect to pay around $500,000 to $1 million annually in operating costs.”

As for buying your private jet in the first place, a brand-new private jet can range in price from $2 million to $500 million. When it comes to second-hand jets, though they are cheaper, they still cost millions.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dan Bilzerian (@danbilzerian)

Bankrate.com reports that “a pre-owned 2019 Gulfstream G280 costs $18.5 million on the Gulfstream website in November 2021. With extras and customization, the price can soar to hundreds of millions of dollars.”

You also need to think about how old the second-hand jet you are purchasing costs to run. According to The Drive, older jets from the 60s, 70s and 80s (like Bilzerian’s, which is from ’87), though they might be cheaper to buy, are less economical to operate.

The Drive reports: “For instance, vintage Learjets burn more fuel at idle than they do in cruise flight at high altitudes. A 20-minute takeoff delay due to congested air traffic has the potential to eliminate fuel reserves necessary for safe flight.”

On top of that, The Drive reports, “The FAA has mandated avionics updates, such as ADS-B, that can be quite costly on older aircraft.”

Oh and just to round things off nicely, “exacerbating difficulties associated with older jets are a potential lack of parts availability and knowledgeable maintenance support, in addition to some not meeting noise abatement requirements,” The Drive reports.

That’s a hell of a pricey journey indeed.

• Why Flying First Class Is Actually More Stressful Than Flying Business
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The post What It Costs To Have Your Own Private Jet Like Dan Bilzerian appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

As it was just a few months ago since Daniel Craig turned in his last performance as the famous and beloved spy, James Bond in No Time To Die, it may be some time before the franchise is inevitably rebooted and we see a new actor in the 007 role.

However, if you’re a serious Bond fan and you’re already having withdrawals, Amazon Prime Video has announced that a TV show based on the 007 agent is in the works.

The eight-part series is called 007’s Road to a Million but it will be a reality show where contestants will participate in a James Bond-style race around the world. Production is set to commence later this year and casting is currently underway (if you’d like to be involved, you can actually send in an application here).

007’s Road to a Million will be filmed in various locations that are featured in Bond films and for contestants to win first prize – a cool one million pounds cash – they’ll have to compete in various challenges and answer questions correctly; which will presumably be Bond-orientated.

Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, the ‘guardians’ of James Bond and producers of multiple Bond films like No Time To Die and Tomorrow Never Dies, are set to produce this new reality show alongside 72 Films and MGM Television.

David Glover, the CEO of 72 Films, told Variety that 007’s Road to a Million has been in the works for quite some time. “I first had this idea over three years ago… To be working with Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli and the Bond franchise is a privilege and a dream come true.”

A release date for 007’s Road to a Million hasn’t been announced yet but considering it’ll only start filming this year, it’s likely that the show will be released on Prime Video next year.

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The post Fans Outraged That Amazon Is ‘Cheapening James Bond’s Legacy’ With New Reality Show appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

Dating is a marathon, not a sprint – and it can be incredibly easy to trip up before you get to the finish line.You pass the hurdles of finding someone cool, having a great conversation either in person or online, biting the bullet and asking someone out, and then finally meeting up… Just to find that you don’t really click.There’s nothing worse than being stuck on a bad date. You don’t want to look like a dick and wrap things up too early, but you also don’t want to be enduring an hour or two of small-talk when you know already that things aren’t going to progress to a second date. What do you do?Enter, as we like to call it, ‘tryst timing’: a dating trick that we’re not sure if it’s a stroke of genius or completely awful move.This now-removed Reddit thread revealed a sneaky way to get out of a bad date that doubles as a way to make yourself look good on a good date.“If you need an easy out for any date, set a 37-minute alarm with a ringtone,” user /u/Halituth advised.“If you two are vibing, ignore it, [but] if you’re ready / need to get out, pretend to answer [your phone] and make up a believable story.”

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A post shared by Samantha Rothenberg (@violetclair) on Jun 26, 2020 at 9:02am PDT

37 minutes may seem like a random number, but we reckon it actually makes a lot of sense. The fact that it’s arbitrary makes it seem more believable, and 37 minutes gives you more than enough time to work out whether the person is worth persevering for.The first 10 minutes of any date is likely to be a bit awkward, even if there’s good chemistry: you’re nervous, you’re ordering food, you’re flustered because you’ve arrived too early or late, and so on. 37 minutes is also not so long that if the date’s a trainwreck you haven’t suffered for too long.Alternatively, if the date is going well, by ignoring the alarm and continuing on, it subtly says to the other person that 1) you’re cool or busy enough to have social engagements and 2) you’re giving them your full attention – and making time for people is sexy.Yet we can’t help but feel that ‘tryst timing’ is essentially dishonest. The /r/dating_advice mods appear to think so, hence why they removed the thread in the first place.Even if it’s immediately apparent that it’s going to be a bad date without any hope of salvaging it, you at least need to treat the other party with enough respect to say ‘hey, I don’t think this is going to work’. Honestly is always the best policy, and if it’s simply a case of you not feeling it, you should communicate that.On the other hand, it could be a great ‘escape route’ if the date is straight-up dangerous or truly uncomfortable. Having a good excuse to leave up your sleeve might be a way to stay safe.The jury’s still out on whether ‘tryst timing’ is manipulative or just a savvy insurance policy against bad dates. All we’ll say is trsyt time responsibly.

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The post ‘Tryst Timing’: The Controversial Dating Trend You Need To Watch Out For appeared first on DMARGE Australia.

2022 has already been a pretty stacked year for watch releases, but OMEGA and Swatch have blown everyone else out of the water with their new collaboration.

In case you’ve missed it, it’s called the BIOCERAMIC MoonSwatch collection: a collection of 11 Swatches modelled after the iconic OMEGA Speedmaster Professional Moonwatch that each represent a planetary body in our solar system.

Colourful and distinctive, the really exciting thing about these ‘MoonSwatches’ is their price point: AU$380. That’s right. Less than $400 for a bloody ‘Speedy’! It’s hard to understate just how radical this collaboration – a first for these two titans of the Swiss watch industry – is… Or how much it’s riled up fans.

People have been lining up at Swatch boutiques around the world for days just to get the chance to cop a MoonSwatch, from Soho to St. Moritz – but there’s perhaps no city on the planet where the lines have been longer than Sydney, Australia.

Sydney’s Pitt Street Mall is no stranger to long lines. You regularly see sneakerheads hoping to cop rare Adidas or Yeezy sneakers camping out in front of the entrance to Westfield. This time, however, it’s people looking to cop MoonSwatches.

RELATED: The Solution To The Rolex Shortage: “Stop Being Poor”

As of publishing, the line is spilling outside of Westfield, down the Pitt Street Mall and around the block down Market Street. Ironically, the line snakes past a bunch of other watch boutiques: it’s right in front of TAG Heuer and Grand Seiko’s boutiques, actually. Breitling and Rolex’s boutiques are just across the street, too.

I’ve seen crazy lines in the Sydney CBD before – some of the queues outside Louis Vuitton and the Apple Store immediately spring to mind – but I’ve never seen a line as long as this. Honestly, I didn’t know there were this many watch nerds in Sydney, let alone Australia.

It speaks volumes about how influential, groundbreaking and exciting this collaboration between Swatch and OMEGA really is, as well as the enduring popularity of the iconic Moonwatch.

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A post shared by OMEGA (@omega)

So, some details: All 11 MoonSwatch designs are crafted from the Swatch’s patented BIOCERAMIC, a unique mix of two-thirds ceramic and one-third material derived from castor oil. BIOCERAMIC is a really cool material: it’s sustainable, visually distinctive and tough.

There’s never been a ceramic Moonwatch so that in itself is exciting, but what’s even more exciting is how bold some of the colour options in the collection are. The bright yellow of the ‘Mission To The Sun’, the warm red of the ‘Mission To Mars’ and the pastel blue of the ‘Mission To Uranus’ are particular highlights. (Don’t be childish.)

Each of the 11 models features subtly different design cues, but all are remarkably faithful to the original Moonwatch: the famous tachymeter scale with a dot over 90, those distinctive Speedmaster subdials and chrono pushers… Yes, they have a quartz movement and the subdials are arranged differently, but it’s still clearly a Moonwatch.

Honestly, we could spend all day talking about these watches, but we’re weighing up whether we should join the line ourselves. Find out more about the OMEGA x Swatch MoonSwatch collection here.

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