Qantas has become the latest airline to announce changes to its loyalty programme.
“We’re adding over 20 million new flight rewards with the launch of a new type of reward seat called Classic Plus. It’s one of the biggest expansions we’ve made to the frequent flyer programme in its 35-year history,” Vanessa Hudson, Qantas Group CEO, announced on Monday.
The airline will reportedly spend AU$120 million (R1,47 billion) boosting its loyalty programme, summarised on qantas.com as follows:
While the Classic Plus Flight Rewards will be available to all domestic and international destinations that Qantas flies to across its first, business, premium economy and economy cabins, some travel experts say the benefits compared with the cost of a standard airfare ticket may not be all that advantageous.
One of the issues with Qantas’s relaunch, highlights Rachael Penaluna, Business Manager at Sure Maritime Travel, is that benefits on the new Classic Plus Flights Rewards will now cost three times as many points as before.
For example, a return business-class flight from Sydney to London during the peak period will cost 638 900 points as a Classic Plus customer, compared with 289 200 on the Classic programme.
“When American Airlines announced radical changes to its loyalty programme, they also made it harder for its frequent flyers to attain Gold Status on AAdvantage Business, with 33% more loyalty points needed to qualify for benefits such as priority boarding and upgrades,” explains Penaluna.
With Qantas’s latest move, TMCs are questioning the value that airlines’ loyalty programmes will offer travellers in the future.
