Qantas to release 20 million domestic reward seats for members of its Frequent Flyers program

Qantas is about to release 20 million domestic reward seats for members of its Frequent Flyers program.

Qantas is about to release more than 20 million reward seats on domestic flights to members of its Frequent Flyer program.

From December 12, the national carrier will launch Classic Plus on domestic and regional flights making it easier for members to book a trip within Australia using points.

The reward seats will be in addition to millions of seats already available through its international network since July.

Points to book Classic Plus reward seats will vary like normal fares, and will be lower during off-peak periods and higher during peak periods.

Qantas Frequent Flyer members will be able to grab Class Plus reward seats from Sydney to Byron Bay for 6700 points when the domestic sale launches on December 12.

When Classic Plus is launched in December travellers can snap up sale domestic seats starting from 5600 points to fly from Sydney to the Gold Coast on selected travel dates.

Longer flights from Melbourne to Perth will be available for 25,900 points.

Since the program launched on the international network in July, frequent flyers have booked hundreds of thousands of reward seats redeeming more than 25 billion points.

The most popular routes have been to Tokyo, Singapore, London, Bali and Queenstown, with nearly a third of bookings made in first, business and premium economy cabins.

Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the expansion of Classic Plus to domestic flights was part of an additional $120m investment the airline was making for customers. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard.

Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the expansion of Classic Plus to domestic flights was part of an additional $120m investment the airline was making for customers this financial year.

“Adding Classic Plus to domestic flights means frequent flyers will have more options to fly where they want, when they want, using their points which we know is an important part of rewarding them for their loyalty,” she said.

“Since we introduced Classic Plus to international flights, we have seen frequent flyers book more reward seats than ever before and the number of points earned and redeemed reach record numbers.

Qantas Loyalty chief executive officer Andrew Glance said booking reward seats continued to be the most popular way members chose to use their points, with nine seats booked every minute. Picture: Supplied

Qantas Loyalty chief executive officer Andrew Glance said booking reward seats continued to be the most popular way members chose to use their points, with nine seats booked every minute.

“The rollout of Classic Plus to Qantas domestic and regional destinations will make points even easier to use, especially during peak travel periods when reward seats are often harder to find,” he said.

“Another unique feature about Classic Plus is that frequent flyers can also mix and match Classic and Classic Plus reward seats in one itinerary, delivering even more choice and flexibility when travelling domestically.”

Meanwhile, frequent flyers can also sign up to earn double status credits or double Qantas points when booking any Qantas operated flights across the international, domestic or regional network for the next seven days – until 11.59pm 31 October 2024 AEDT.

Double status credits help fast track members through the status tiers (bronze, silver, gold, platinum and platinum one), unlocking travel benefits such as lounge access, priority boarding and additional baggage allowance.

Originally published as Qantas to release 20 million domestic reward seats for members of its Frequent Flyers program