Qantas frequent flyer scheme hits 10.2 million members

QANTAS as an airline might be struggling but its frequent flyer scheme declared it had 10.2m members, up from 5.8m five years ago.

Qantas frequent flyers hit 10.2 million

QANTAS as an airline might be struggling but its frequent flyer scheme yesterday ­declared it had 10.2 million members, up from the 5.8 ­million five years ago.

And Qantas will today launch an “online mall” that ­allows members to earn points by shopping with a swag of ­retailers including eBay, Apple, David Jones and Booktopia.

Qantas Loyalty chief ­executive Lesley Grant said shopping via qantaspoints.com could earn up to five points for every dollar spent.

But Qantas is not breaking new ground. Virgin Australia launched its Velocity loyalty scheme online store in 2008 and said its 4.2 million-strong program was adding 1800 members a day.

Ms Grant declined to ­comment on the ongoing speculation Qantas could ­follow the example of Air ­Canada in selling its scheme.

The company behind Air Canada’s loyalty program is valued at $3.3 billion on the sharemarket, more than the airline itself.

While Qantas’s profits have taken a major hit in recent years, its loyalty scheme ­continues to post strong ­profits. In the 2013 financial year, it ­generated $525 million in ­revenues and $260 million of gross ­profits for Qantas.

Originally published as Qantas frequent flyer scheme hits 10.2 million members