Mascot (TAN): Australian flagship carrier Qantas Airways will fly its loyal customers to Japan’s capital Tokyo, provided they have air miles for the journey.
The airline will operate a ‘Points Plane’ from Australia’s Melbourne to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport on October 21, 2019, the payment for which cannot be made in cash – seats will only be available to members with redeemable Qantas Points.
The tickets for Qantas’ first-ever Points Plane, an Airbus A380, are available for reservations.
[ALSO READ: Passenger train Australind resumes service after maintenance outage]
The ‘Points Plane’ concept was introduced to pay Qantas Frequent Flyer members back, and ‘provide even more redemption opportunities’.
Olivia Wirth, Qantas Loyalty Chief Executive Officer, said: “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.”
Tokyo was chosen as the destination for the maiden flight as Japan has been one of the top five destinations for Qantas flyers.
Wirth added: “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.”
[ALSO READ: The city of Taj Mahal is set to get a Taj hotel]
Members will be able to reserve any seat on the plane – Economy seats can be booked for 35,000 Qantas Points, Premium Economy for 54,000 points, Business for 72,000 points and First for 108,000 points, excluding all applicable taxes and charges. Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum members will also be able to book seats on the Points Plane flights.
Passengers on board the inaugural Points Plane will be served customised cocktails and meals, along with a signature pyjama set, giveaways and special inflight services.
For return, members can choose from an Airbus A330 Points Plane on October 26, book a Classic Reward seat with Qantas or a partner airline on a different date, or use Points Plus Pay for a seat.
