Qantas books big jump in carbon offset customers following frequent flyer points initiative

Qantas has recorded a 15pc surge in the number of travellers opting to fly carbon neutral.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce with loyalty business chief Olivia Wirth. Picture: Adam Yip

Qantas has recorded a surge in passengers choosing to offset their flight after increasing the number of frequent flyer points awarded in exchange for flying carbon neutral.

Since the start of the month, Qantas (QAN) has offered ten frequent flyer points for every dollar spent on offsetting flights, making it the highest earn rate of any frequent flyer initiative.

As a result, the airline has recorded a 15 per cent increase in travellers opting to fly carbon neutral and awarded over a million frequent flyer points in the process.

The initiative was developed by Qantas in partnership with Harvard University’s Sustainability, Transparency and Accountability Research (STAR) Lab.

Director Michael Hiscox said research showed the majority of Australian consumers thought that businesses and individuals had a role to play in reducing the impact of climate change.

“Some 80 per cent of those consumers report that they want to reduce their carbon footprint and prefer to purchase products from environmentally conscious businesses,” said Mr Hiscox.

“Leading companies are embracing sustainability in more holistic ways and creating new ways for customers to align their consumption choices with their concerns and sustainability.”

Qantas Loyalty chief executive Olivia Wirth said the initiative recognised how much Australians “valued frequent flyer points and how they could influence the choices people made as consumers”.

“It’s great to see the power of points motivating customers to offset their flights and helping us toward our goal to halve net emissions by 2050,” Ms Wirth said.

“Around 10 per cent of our customers already choose to offset their flights which is one almost every minute.

“We’re hoping the added incentive of Qantas points will continue to drive numbers higher as awareness of the initiative grows.”

There are 40 projects worldwide that Qantas supports through the purchase of carbon credits, including the Babinda Reef and North Kimberley project and Maori Rainforest program.

Qantas started offsetting carbon pollution in 2008 and says its program is the largest in the world.