Qantas has announced plans to make 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.
For the rest of 2020, Classic Flight Reward seat availability will be increased by up to 50 per cent to the most popular destinations in Australia and New Zealand including Cairns, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Queenstown and Auckland (when flights recommence).
To help regular flyers maintain their travel benefits, Qantas Frequent Flyer will also be giving tiered members Silver and above a one-off Status Credit bonus to compensate for reduced flying activity.
Eligible Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One members will automatically receive 50 per cent 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.
The increased availability and status support are part of a raft of initiatives from the loyalty program designed to give members more value from their upcoming holidays and the broader program.
The move has been described as a play to increase capacity on all Qantas flights and keep passenger numbers up.
Qantas CEO Alan Joyce said the changes were good news for members and for tourism.
“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.
“We’re also helping our most loyal flyers maintain their travel benefits by giving them extra Status Credits in recognition of their long-term loyalty.”
Qantas Loyalty CEO, Olivia Wirth said Qantas Frequent Flyer is one of the most attractive loyalty programs in the world because it’s always evolving and innovating to meet the needs of its 13 million members.
“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,” Ms Wirth said.
“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.”
Olivia Wirth, Qantas Loyalty CEO
“Qantas Frequent Flyers are some of the country’s biggest advocates for travel and this has been reflected in the number of bookings we’re seeing as travel restrictions ease.
“That’s why we’re continuing to invest in making our members’ travel dreams a reality with more choice, better value and greater flexibility.”
Qantas said intention to travel for Frequent Flyers remains high at 90 per cent with Qantas’ latest nationwide sale showing that Sydney-Brisbane, Melbourne-Sydney, Perth-Broome, Sydney-Cairns, Brisbane-Cairns were the most popular routes.
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