Here is some of the latest news from Australia’s major airlines – from Qantas’ marking the biggest change to their Frequent Flyer programme yet to Jetstar’s resurrected route to Japan.
A whole new world of points from Qantas
Qantas Frequent Flyers now have access to more than 20 million more reward seats with the launch of Classic Plus Flight Rewards, a new way for members to use their Qantas Points to book flights.
This change has been described as one of the biggest ever expansions of the programme in its 35-year history. It will make it much easier to travel to places like London, Tokyo, New York and Singapore with Qantas Points – even during peak times.
While usually requiring more points than the existing Classic reward seats, Classic Plus represents some of the best value across the frequent flyer programme with much wider availability. It’s worth noting that Classic Plus reward seats are also eligible for upgrades.
The points required to book Classic Plus reward seats will vary like normal airfares. This means they’ll be lower during off-peak periods or when booking early and higher during peak periods. During sales and promotions, Classic Plus reward seats may drop below a Classic reward seat on the same route.
Virgin wins Best Cabin Crew award yet again
Virgin Australia has won Best Cabin Crew in the Airline Excellence Award for the sixth year in a row, a competition presented annually by airlineratings.com. The judges boast more than 200 years of combined aviation experience and recognise the gold standard in the airline industry, with more than 350 airlines considered against a strict set of criteria.
Virgin Australia’s CEO, Jayne Hrdlicka said: “One of the joys of working for an airline is hearing the extraordinary stories right across our network of crew going the extra mile in their service. It is that signature flair that each individual brings that makes flying with Virgin Australia so special.”
The announcement came just weeks after Virgin Australia Regional Airlines was named Best Regional Airline for 2024 for the very first time.
Jetstar Airways celebrates resurrected Japan route
Jetstar has relaunched Australia’s only direct service between Sydney and Osaka (Kansai). The initial flight marked the first time in 15 years that the low-cost carrier operated this route. And it’s reintroducing convenient, low-cost travel to Japan’s second biggest city after Tokyo.
Using its Boeing 787 Dreamliners, Jetstar is operating three return services per week. This means there will be more than 100,000 low-fare seats between Sydney and Osaka every year.
“Australians’ love for Japan continues to grow and the strength of the Australian dollar against the Yen means it’s incredibly affordable right now,” explains Jetstar’s head of customer Jenny Armor.
“This is the third direct service we’ve launched from Australia to Japan in the last six months and the second to Osaka, with strong demand for our existing flights.”