The scheme will be rolled out on domestic flights from the end of 2024. It adds 20 million reward seats to the frequent flyer program and a third way to redeem points,in addition to Classic Rewards and Points Plus Pay.
“This is about providing more access to more seats on more flights across more time periods. It’s also about making sure we do that sustainably,” Hudson said when asked why the airline had created a third tier,instead of making more Classic Rewards seats available.
Qantas has about 5 million Classic Rewards seats available on Qantas,Jetstar and partner airline flights and has not changed the number of points needed to redeem these seats since 2019.
More than half of the country are members of Qantas’ frequent flyer program,with almost 16 million members,so it can be difficult to redeem these points for a flight.
Until now,travellers have been able to secure Classic Rewards seats in exchange for a set number of points,or use some points and pay the remainder of a fare. Fewer points are required to obtain a Classic Rewards seat than a Points Plus Play seat,but they are often difficult to find.
Classic Plus seems to be an attempt by the airline to address complaints some frequent flyers have made regarding the scarcity of Classic Rewards seats. It will not be available for bookings on Jetstar or partner airlines.