Thousands of Qantas Frequent Flyers are departing Australia this week, using the airline’s new Classic Plus reward seats for the first time.
Since Classic Plus bookings went live in April, Qantas Frequent Flyers have redeemed an unprecedented
10.7 billion points on Qantas international flight bookings[1]. This is a third more than what members used before the launch of Classic Plus[2].
Classic Plus is one of the biggest ever expansions to the Qantas Frequent Flyer program, making it easier for members to use their points for travel, even during peak periods.
More than 80,000 passengers will start departing on their Classic Plus reward flights from today, with Tokyo, London, Singapore, Queenstown and Bali among the most popular destinations booked. A third of Classic Plus passengers will also be travelling in First, Business and Premium Economy cabins.
Qantas Loyalty CEO Andrew Glance said flight redemptions remain the most popular way Qantas Frequent Flyers choose to use their points, with Classic Plus adding to the options for members.
“Our members are booking nine reward seats every minute. Classic Plus has been a game changer, making it even easier for them to use their points for what matters most – which we know is travel.
“The Frequent Flyer program has always been about rewarding our members for their loyalty, with unforgettable travel experiences at the heart of that, and we’re incredibly pleased with the feedback we’ve had from our members so far,” said Mr Glance.
While usually requiring more points than the existing Classic reward seats, Classic Plus represents some of the best points value across the frequent flyer program and with much wider availability.
The points required to book Classic Plus reward seats vary like normal airfares, which means they are lower in off-peak periods and higher during peak periods and when booked at the last minute.
Qantas has already offered six international sales since Classic Plus launched, discounting hundreds of thousands of reward seats for members across all cabin types.
“Another unique feature about Classic Plus is that the price point also drops during a sale. We’ve already offered sales to North America, Asia and New Zealand in recent weeks, and many members have snapped up reward seats at a very sharp points price,” Mr Glance said.
In addition to Classic Plus, Qantas continues to offer more than 5 million Classic reward seats across Qantas, Jetstar and the Group’s 45 partner airlines, with no change the points required to book these seats since 2019.
Once Classic Plus is rolled out across the Qantas domestic network by the end of 2024, members will have access to over 20 million reward seats across the rolling 12-month booking period.
Where Qantas Frequent Flyers are travelling to:
- A family of four is travelling from Sydney to Bali return Economy for 59,500 points each (plus taxes, fees, and carrier charges).
- A family of four is travelling from Sydney to Auckland return Business for 63,250 points each (plus taxes, fees, and carrier charges).
- A family of four is travelling from Sydney to Tokyo return Economy for 117,550 points each (plus taxes, fees, and carrier charges).
- A family of three is travelling from Sydney to Singapore return Economy for 120,200 points each (plus taxes, fees, and carrier charges).
- A couple is travelling from Melbourne to Paris return Economy ahead of the Olympic Games for 169,200 points each (plus taxes, fees, and carrier charges).
- A couple is travelling from Sydney to London return Premium Economy for 266,600 points each (plus taxes, fees, and carrier charges).
[1] Includes total international flight redemptions.
[2] Daily average for FY24 period before the launch of Classic Plus.
