Qantas has announced the first of a series of dedicated frequent flyer redemption flights across its network with seats only available to members redeeming Qantas Points.
The inaugural Points Plane will be an Airbus A380 operating from Melbourne to Tokyo (Narita) on 21 October 2019, with Qantas Frequent Flyers able to book seats from Thursday 16 May.
The concept is one of many Qantas Loyalty is exploring to reward Qantas Frequent Flyer members and provide even more redemption opportunities.
To maximise flexibility on return travel, members have the choice of booking on an A330 return Points Plane on October 26 or depart on an alternative date of their choice by booking a classic reward seat with Qantas or a partner airline, or using Points Plus Pay on any commercially available seat.
Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said that flight redemptions are Qantas Frequent Flyer members’ favourite way to use their Qantas Points.
“This is the first time we have dedicated an entire aircraft – let alone an A380 – to our frequent flyers, and we are expecting to see significant demand for these flights.
“Four flight redemptions are made every minute and sixty upgrades are confirmed every hour. We know our members love to redeem their points on travel, so we’re excited to be able to give them new ways to access these rewards.
“Member-exclusive flights mean more redemption opportunities for our members and less time searching for reward seats.
“If this concept is a success, which we think it will be, Qantas hopes to operate more regular Frequent Flyer only flights to other international and domestic destinations in the near future.”