Qantas extends Frequent Flyer Classic Plus rewards to domestic flights

Qantas has announced it will extend its Classic Plus rewards seat program to domestic flights and offer a second Double Status Credits promo for the year.

The move is likely to appease many of the airline’s 16 million frequent flyers as Qantas negotiates a tricky time away from the tarmac with increased industrial action from engineers and a stalemate in pay negotiations with international pilots.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Qantas teams up with Oman Air

Up to 400 of the 2,600 engineers employed by Qantas will walk off the job again on Friday as they bargain for better pay and conditions. Unions will also target the company’s annual general meeting being held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Hobart.

The sweeteners for frequent flyers will be particularly popular with hardcore travellers and point collectors.

A Double Status Credit promo allows a rapid ascension of frequent flyer tiers, allowing many to push for - or hold - Silver, Gold, Platinum or Platinum One status with a smaller number of flights.

For example, during a DSC (Double Status Credits) promo, a discount economy one-way airfare from Sydney to Perth would earn you 40 status credits instead of the usual 20.

You’ll need 300 status credits to hit Silver, 700 for Gold, 1,400 for Platinum and 3,600 for Platinum One.

The addition of domestic and regional flights to the Classic Plus rewards program from December 12 is also significant. It means more than 20 million seats are available as redemptions but you’ll want to be wary of the points value of each seat.

Classic Plus opens up more rewards seats, albeit at a usually higher point cost than sought-after Classic Rewards, but at a lower points cost than the old Points-Plus-Pay system which many customers found confusing and of very poor value.

The points value of Classic Plus redemptions is tied to the cash price of an airfare, which means when there is a sale, you could jag a Classic Plus seat for fewer points than the traditional Classic rewards seat.

It also means when airfares are high, you’ll pay a large amount of points for a Classic Plus rewards seat, and this could significantly reduce the value of your points collection.

According to Qantas, Tokyo, Singapore, London, Bali and Queenstown are the most popular Classic Plus routes. About one-third of those bookings have been made in premium cabins.

Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson says the Classic Plus program has seen more rewards seat redemptions than ever.

“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,” Hudson said.

Qantas Loyalty CEO Andrew Glance says the frequent flyer program is more flexible.

“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.”

Example Economy Fares include:

For overseas trips, Qantas frequent flyers also have more options thanks to a partnership announced with Oman Air allowing points redemptions on flights.

The Middle East carrier has a small fleet of 35 aircraft but offers full service, with economy and business class cabins and connections to dozens of cities in Europe and Asia.

Oman Air doesn’t fly to Australia so to redeem a points flight with them will require an extra flight leg - from Australia to Asia and then Muscat.

“It is definitely a viable option,” says Point Hacks editor Daniel Sciberras, “I’d rather have an extra (flight) leg if it meant I could redeem my points in business class.”

Oman Air’s Chief Executive is Australian Con Korfiatis, who has more than 30 years of experience in the industry. He goes into bat for Oman’s tourism industry, “The objective is to double the size of our tourist industry for our country by 2040,” he explains.

NOTE: **The Qantas DSC starts today and needs to be activated through the Qantas app. The bookings must be made before 11.59pm on 31 October 2024 AEDT for travel between 1 November 2024 and 19 October 2025.**