Qantas flies its first ‘Points Plane’ from Sydney to Los Angeles

Stepping onto Qantas flight VH-OJU, something felt different. Not only was this voyage completing a first for the airline, it was also this plane’s last.

It sounds almost too good to be true. An international flight that won’t cost you a cent.

Well, sort of.

As part of a final farewell tour to the their Boeing 747 fleet (which will no longer be part of the Qantas family by the end of 2020), the Australian airline launched its very first “Points Plane” on Sunday night, flying from Sydney to Los Angeles to give one of their seven remaining “original jumbo jets” the farewell it deserved.

In a sneaky introduction to the newly established Frequent Flyer Points Plane initiative — where passengers essentially book a seat without handing over any money — there was something extra special about this inaugural flight.

Qantas announced the ‘Points Plane’ flight initiative earlier this year. Picture: AAP Image/Bianca De Marchi.

After 20 years with the airline, spending more than 90,000 hours in the sky and travelling the equivalent of 95 return trips to the moon, VH-OJU was on her final commercial flight.

Qantas’ Boeing 747 fleet will be retired in 2020, with just six now remaining that will be phased out from the airline over the next 12 months.

In the lead-up to the plane’s final haul across the Pacific, Qantas advised Frequent Flyer members that they’d be able to book a premium seat on this Boeing’s final commercial flight, sneaking in ahead of the official Points Plane launch — which will take passengers from Melbourne to Tokyo during the Rugby World Cup later this month.

For the inaugural flight to Los Angeles, members were able to book seats in business, premium economy and economy at the standard Qantas Points redemption rate for the route — 41,900 points for economy, 72,000 for premium and 96,000 points for a business class seat.

The next Points Plane will be an A380 heading from Melbourne to Japan.

Shortly before the departure date, passengers who weren’t part of the program — or perhaps didn’t have enough points — were able to purchase a seat on-board the retirement voyage.

When the initiative was launched earlier this year, enabling Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum members an equal opportunity to secure a booking on dedicated Points Plane flights, Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said the move was designed to open more flights up to members who choose to redeem points on travel.

“Four flight redemptions are made every minute and 60 upgrades are confirmed every hour. We know our members love to redeem their points on travel, so we’re excited to be able to give them new ways to access these rewards,” she said in a statement.

“Member-exclusive flights mean more redemption opportunities for our members and less time searching for reward seats.”

Qantas expects the Points Plane to be a great success for the airline, allowing members to cash in on points in a way they haven’t been able to previously. Picture: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

The next Points Plane flight, set to depart Melbourne on October 21, 2019 for Japan, could be the continuation of more international trips requiring points as payment, a concept the airline is exploring to provide even more redemption opportunities to members.

“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,” Ms Wirth said.

The next Points Plane to Japan will also have a distinctive in-flight service with special on-board experiences, including a bespoke cocktail and meal service, signature pyjamas and in-flight giveaways.

This writer travelled to Los Angeles as a guest of Qantas