(TAN): Qantas is making it easier for Frequent Flyers to use their points on domestic and Trans-Tasman flights, as more travellers look closer to home for their next holiday. Which means there will be more reward seats, more status support and more value!
For the rest of 2020, Classic Flight Reward seat availability will be increased by up to 50% to the most popular destinations in Australia and New Zealand including Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Queenstown and Auckland (when flights recommence).
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Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the changes were good news for members and for tourism. “Australia is home to world-class destinations and Qantas is making it easier for frequent flyers to visit them. We’re adding more Points Planes and more reward seats to our most popular domestic destinations because that’s where people will be holidaying for the rest of the year,” Joyce said.
To help regular flyers maintain their travel benefits, tiered members will be given Silver and above a one-off Status Credits bonus to compensate for reduced flying activity.
Qantas Loyalty CEO, Olivia Wirth said, “We’ve been listening to our Frequent Flyers closely over the last few months about how they feel about travel, where they want to go and how they want to use their points. What emerged was that despite what’s going on around the world, the notion of the dream trip is well and truly alive, they’re just looking a little closer to home.”
The increased availability and status support are part of a raft of initiatives from the loyalty programme designed to give members more value from their upcoming holidays.
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Additional Rewards Include:
Extra Status Credits: To help frequent flyers maintain their benefits throughout travel restrictions, eligible Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members will automatically receive 50% of the Status Credits they need annually to keep their tier. Members most impacted, such as those whose membership year started at the peak of travel restrictions, will also be eligible for additional monthly Status Credits support. Loyalty Bonus for members will now also count towards reaching or retaining Platinum One until 31 December 2021.
Better value on accommodation: The number of points required for Points Plus Pay Qantas Hotels bookings will decrease by 20% effective immediately. For a limited time, members will also receive 5,000 points back when they book a minimum of 3 nights. They will also earn up to 125 bonus Status Credits on selected Qantas Luxury offers when they book before 31 August 2020.
Greater flexibility: To enable members to plan their holidays with more confidence, bookings made using points on Qantas Group flights will have any change or cancellation fees waived until 31 October 2020.
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More Points Planes: Qantas Frequent Flyer will launch more Points Planes – exclusive flights for frequent flyer redemptions – to meet the pent-up travel demand of members and boost Australian tourism. Timings and destinations of the flights will be released over the coming months.
Improved digital experience: Qantas Frequent Flyers will soon have a new way to plan their holidays with points. ‘Dream Planner’, launching in July 2020, uses real time data and notifications to keep members informed on reward seat availability and special offers to their preferred destinations.
