Qantas Announces 20 Million Reward Seats

24 October, 2024

5 min read

Passenger News
Geoffrey Thomas

Geoffrey Thomas

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Geoffrey Thomas

Geoffrey Thomas

24 October, 2024

Airlines in this article

Qantas Frequent Flyer members will soon have access to more than 20 million reward seats with the upcoming launch of Classic Plus on domestic flights.

Frequent Flyers can also today fast-track their status or boost their points balance, with the return of the popular Double Status Credits or Qantas Points offer.

The two initiatives are part of one of the biggest expansions of the FF program.

Because of the large amount of detail we are publishing the press release in full.

Here is the Qantas release….

CLASSIC PLUS TO ROLL OUT ON DOMESTIC FLIGHTS

Classic Plus will be available on domestic and regional flights from 12 December 2024, making it easier for members to book an Australian beach escape, city break or interstate holiday using points. These seats add to the millions already available across the international network since July.

The points required to book Classic Plus reward seats vary like normal airfares, which means they are lower during off-peak periods or when booking early, and higher during peak periods. During sales and promotions, Classic Plus reward seats may drop below a Classic reward seat on the same route.

Sale Domestic Economy seats will be available at launch, starting from 5,600 points for Sydney to Gold Coast, 6,700 points for Sydney to Byron Bay, 6,900 points for Melbourne to Launceston and 25,900 points for Melbourne to Perth (for select travel dates).

If Classic Plus was available today, current prices would see the same routes starting from 9,600 points for Sydney to Gold Coast, 9,700 points for Sydney to Byron Bay, 8,900 points for Melbourne to Launceston and 32,500 points for Melbourne to Perth, for travel during the peak 2025 April school holidays.

All reward seat bookings also have an additional cash component of taxes, fees and carrier charges and members are encouraged to visit qantas.com at launch to see the Classic Plus domestic fares available.

The combination of Classic Plus on domestic and international Qantas flights means members will have access to over 20 million new reward seats across the rolling 12-month booking period.

Since launching on the international network in July, Qantas Frequent Flyers have already booked hundreds of thousands of Classic Plus reward seats. Over 25 billion points have been redeemed on international flight redemptions.

Tokyo, Singapore, London, Bali and Queenstown are the most popular Classic Plus routes, with nearly a third of bookings made in First, Business and Premium Economy cabins.

In addition to Classic Plus, Qantas continues to offer more than 5 million Classic reward seats across Qantas, Jetstar and 45 partner airlines, with no change the points required to book these seats since 2019.

STATUS AND POINTS BALANCE BOOST FOR MEMBERS

Frequent flyers can sign up to earn double Status Credits or double Qantas Points when booking any Qantas operated flights across the international, domestic or regional network for the next seven days (until 11.59pm 31 October 2024 AEDT).

Double Status Credits help fast track members through the status tiers (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One), unlocking travel benefits like lounge access, priority boarding and additional baggage allowance.

Double Qantas Points deliver members with a points balance boost, which can be used to book reward seats, request flight upgrades, book a Qantas Hotels stay, or make a purchase on Qantas Marketplace.

During the most recent offer in February, participating members booked nearly 200,000 flights, with 60 per cent choosing to fast-track their status and 40 per cent choosing to boost their points balance.

Members can register via the Qantas App and book as many flights during the offer period, for travel between 1 November 2024 and 19 October 2025.

COMMENTS

Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson said the expansion of Classic Plus to domestic flights is part of an additional $120 million investment Qantas is making for customers this financial year.

“Adding Classic Plus to domestic flights means frequent flyers will have more options to fly where they want, when they want, using their points which we know is an important part of rewarding them for their loyalty,” said Ms Hudson.

“Since we introduced Classic Plus to international flights, we have seen frequent flyers book more reward seats than ever before and the number of points earned and redeemed reach record numbers.

“This investment is driving greater member engagement with the program and our partners which is key to the growth and success of Qantas Loyalty.”

Qantas Loyalty CEO Andrew Glance said booking reward seats continues to be the most popular way members choose to use their points, with nine seats booked every minute.

“The roll-out of Classic Plus to Qantas domestic and regional destinations will make points even easier to use, especially during peak travel periods when reward seats are often harder to find,” said Mr Glance.

“Another unique feature about Classic Plus is that frequent flyers can also mix and match Classic and Classic Plus reward seats in one itinerary, delivering even more choice and flexibility when travelling domestically.

“Our Double Status Credits or Qantas Points program is always incredibly popular, helping members to fast-track their status or boost their points balance to unlock greater travel benefits and rewards like lounge access, priority boarding and additional baggage allowance.”

CLASSIC PLUS DOMESTIC FARES

While usually requiring more points than the existing Classic reward seats, Classic Plus represent some of the best value across the frequent flyer program with much wider availability. Classic Plus reward seats are also eligible for upgrades.

Qantas Points required to book Classic Plus reward seats (and taxes, fees and carrier charges)


* Available for booking at date of Classic Plus launch, for select travel periods in 2025.

** Available for travel between 11 April – 27 April 2025.

*** Current taxes, fees and carrier charges for the specified routes.  Taxes, fees and carrier charges may vary and are subject to change before launch.

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