Qantas frequent flyers land new status extension

Qantas is striving to keep its most loyal frequent flyers happy by extending their status until 2023, with one condition.

Qantas is offering another status extension for its top tier frequent flyers in recognition of the fact flying is unlikely to return to pre-Covid levels for some time.

Qantas has announced a fourth extension of frequent flyer status for its most loyal members in recognition of the lack of opportunities to retain their benefits.

The latest extension will see platinum one, platinum, gold and silver members hold on to their status until at least June 2023, providing they book one eligible flight before their current membership year ends.

The offer is targeted at those frequent flyers who are in danger of slipping down the status tiers, as a result of the Covid pandemic’s devastating impact on air travel.

The higher the status, the more benefits frequent flyers can access, such as lounge access, extra checked baggage allowances, priority airport privileges and a better shot at seat upgrades.

Qantas Loyalty chief executive Olivia Wirth said tier status was very important to members, many of whom had taken years to build it up.

“The offer to retain their current status by booking just one eligible flight is a great way for them to secure the additional 12-months of the benefits that come with being silver or gold, platinum or platinum one members, which will come into its own when everyone is back flying,” she said.

Throughout the pandemic, frequent flyers had remained “highly engaged” with the program, with bookings surging when border restrictions eased, said Ms Wirth.

“We’re confident we’ll see the same when borders reopen this time. In fact, our data shows 96 per cent of Qantas customers intend to travel domestically in the next 12-months,” she said.

Editor-in-chief of Executive Traveller website, David Flynn, described the status extension as “another boon to millions of frequent flyers who’ve had their wings clipped by Covid”.

“That is especially true of high-flying platinum and platinum one members who typically rely on long-haul international flights to London and the US to attain their status and perks,” said Mr Flynn.

“Being able to keep their status until as far ahead as mid-2023 will not only help insulate frequent flyers from an unknown future in terms of lockdowns and travel budget cuts.

“It’s expected that by 2023, international flights to most countries will have resumed and demand will be on the upswing to pre-Covid levels.”

He said the initiative also signalled that Qantas expected to have most if not all of its international routes back by mid-2023.

Qantas frequent flyers is Australia’s largest loyalty program with nearly 14 million members able to collect points from a wide-range of activities other than flying.

Pre-Covid, more than 35 per cent of all credit card spending in Australia earned frequent flyer points, making Qantas Loyalty one of the best performing divisions of the airline.

In an effort to keep members engaged during the pandemic, Qantas has operated several “points only flights” across the Tasman, and staged a “points auction” which saw members bid more than 12 million points on a range of bespoke experiences.

Qantas also targeted the most loyal customers of other airlines with a bold “status-matching” offer last year, which was then adopted by Virgin Australia’s Velocity program.