Travel boost: Qantas to build new Australasian lounges, adds India codeshares, creates new dining rewards
The latest boost to customers comes alongside the airline’s announcement this week of new flights to New York City from Auckland and just a few days ago, the news that the Flying Kangaroo would start operating regular scheduled services to the South Pacific nation of Tonga.
Qantas’ investment in developing new lounges across the network is an important one for travellers, particularly given the rapid return of travel.
The carrier revealed it would undertake a multi-million dollar investment program to build new lounges in Adelaide, Auckland, Port Hedland and Rockhampton.
“We know how much our customers value being able to relax before their flight, whether they’re flying from a major regional port or an international hub,” said Qantas Group CEO, Alan Joyce.
“Our new Auckland International lounge will be a step change in comfort. It will offer a lot more space and, like all of our offshore lounges, feature the best of local design, food and wine.”
He said Qantas has Australia’s most extensive lounge network with 35 domestic lounges as well as 16 lounges at International airports across Australia and around the world, including a new First Lounge in Singapore and flagship First Lounges in Sydney and Melbourne.
Joyce said Qantas has now reopened almost all of its 51 domestic and international lounges, including its Los Angeles First Lounge earlier this month.
He said the lounge at Honolulu is scheduled to reopen in coming months after a light refresh to furniture and amenities.
At Auckland International Airport, Qantas will completely redesign and expand its existing lounge precinct at Auckland International Airport – plans for which were stalled by the pandemic – to provide a modern pre-flight oasis for customers travelling to-and-from Australia as well as on the new Auckland-New York service.
The existing two lounge space will be combined and redeveloped into a single Qantas International Lounge and include a footprint expansion into an adjacent space to increase total capacity by around 40 percent from 244 seats to 340 seats.
The detailed design process will begin shortly and building work will be staged to enable the lounge to operate during the redevelopment. The lounge will offer a number of features specifically tailored for long haul travel, based on positive feedback from other parts of its network.
In South Australia, Qantas will build a new Business Lounge at Adelaide Domestic Airport with 190 seating capacity, as well as fully upgrade its current Chairmans Lounge and Qantas Club. The new Business Lounge will cater to Qantas’ growing business and premium leisure travellers. Total seating capacity across the three lounges will be 570.
The redevelopment of the lounge precinct at Adelaide Airport will begin in the second half of 2023. South Australia’s culinary reputation and natural environment is expected to play a key role in the design inspiration.
At Rockhampton Airport in Queensland, Qantas will build a new lounge as part of its ongoing commitment to invest in regional Australia and as part of the overall airport redevelopment, according to the carrier. It will be double the capacity of the existing one, with seating for up to 60 guests, and is expected to open in November this year.
In Western Australia, Qantas will redevelop its Port Hedland lounge as part of the broader terminal upgrade. The new lounge footprint will be significantly larger, providing more space to quadruple the lounge capacity to 120 guests to cater for the growing FIFO market. Work will be completed by late 2023.
Qantas and IndiGo, India’s largest domestic carrier, have launched their codeshare agreement.
The start of the codeshare comes ahead of the flying kangaroo’s new Sydney – Bengaluru service, which takes off on 14 September and will be the only direct connection between Australia and Southern India.
According to Qantas, the codeshare will roll out in phases and “will deliver strengthened access for Qantas customers travelling throughout India”.
“Phase one will see eleven destinations available for seamless connection on IndiGo from Bengaluru, including popular Indian destinations such as Mumbai, Goa, Kolkata and Chennai,” a Qantas Spokesperson said.
“Connections to Amritsar and Kochi will also be available from Delhi. Additional connections will continue to roll out in the coming months.
“Overall, it is expected that the Qantas and IndiGo partnership will deliver one-stop access to 11 Indian cities initially, expanding to more than 50 cities across India.
“India continues to be a popular destination with Qantas customers with strong demand for the December holiday period,” the spokesperson said.
Bengaluru is India’s high-growth information technology hub and the city has built strong connections with Australia for both business and those visiting friends and relatives.
“Qantas customers are connecting from Melbourne, Brisbane and Auckland and Wellington to take advantage of the direct Sydney – Bengaluru flights,” the spokesperson said.
All IndiGo operated services to and from the 11 initial destinations will now carry a QF codeshare flight number, meaning Qantas Frequent Flyers will be able to earn and redeem
points on these flights.
Qantas customers travelling on IndiGo will enjoy the same benefits as travelling on Qantas such as baggage allowance and complimentary food and drinks.
Qantas Frequent Flyers can now earn and use points on some of Australia’s best dining experiences as part of a new partnership with the Seagrass Boutique Hospitality Group.
From now, Qantas Points will be on the menu at more than 40 dining venues across Australia including 6HEAD, Ribs & Burgers, Italian Street Kitchen, Hunter & Barrel and The Meat & Wine Co. restaurants.
Members can earn 3 points per dollar spent at premium venues including 6HEAD, Hunter & Barrel and Meat & Wine Co; and 2 points per dollar spent at Ribs & Burgers and Italian Street Kitchen.
Frequent flyers can also use points to pay the bill in full, or for a portion of the bill, using Points Plus Pay at all venues.
Qantas Loyalty CEO, Olivia Wirth, said the new partnership was in response to demand from members for more ways to earn and use points across hospitality experiences.
“Food and wine consistently rank amongst the top interests for our members, along with travel, and we’ve been looking at how we can expand their opportunities to be rewarded while dining out,” she said.
“The ability to earn points towards their next dream trip while enjoying a meal in a restaurant will be a welcome addition for frequent flyers. As will treating themselves to a dining experience using their Qantas Points.
“Frequent flyers can also double-dip on earning Qantas Points by using their points earning credit card when they dine at one of these restaurants,” Wirth said.
Bradley Michael, CEO and Founder of Seagrass Hospitality Group said: “We’re excited to be partnering with Qantas Frequent Flyer, especially now that dining out and restaurant experiences are coming back to life.
“Our portfolio of brands and locations will give frequent flyers the opportunity to enjoy a wide range of premium and casual dining experiences.
“Building loyalty is equally as important to Seagrass as it is to Qantas, so this partnership is a natural, positive fit for both of us. We are looking forward to greeting our frequent flyer friends and families.”
Qantas Loyalty’s new integrated pinpad experience will be used in venues at the point of sale to deliver a seamless experience for members looking to earn or use points on their meals.
The Qantas Reward Code technology was developed to allow members to easily use Qantas Points on the ground by securely scanning their digital Frequent Flyer Card and then entering their unique Reward Code.
This latest partnership provides even more choice for Qantas Frequent Flyers in how they can use their points.
It builds on more than 600 partners already in the program that give members options to earn and use points across travel, retail, business and financial services, insurance, health and wellbeing.