Qantas Points Plane Noumea: Which flights can you take?
How to get the best rewards seats from Qantas's latest offer – don't miss out!
A Classic Rewards flight to New Caledonia just became a lot more appealing.
Qantas's latest "Points Plane" promotion has made almost every seat on its Sydney-Noumea and Brisbane-Noumea routes able to be booked as a Classic Rewards seat between August and September.
That means instead of scrambling to find a Classic Rewards seat, you can pick a date and be confident that there will be availability.
To qualify, you need to book before 31 July 2022.
Qantas resumed flights to Noumea in June, having suspended services during the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Since flights recommenced in June, we've seen hundreds of Australians take off to New Caledonia for tropical holidays each week, and now frequent flyers can book any available seat across most flights using points," Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth said.
Here's when Qantas currently runs flights to Noumea. (Note the Sydney-Noumea Saturday service doesn't kick off until 14 August.)
| Route | Flight# | Times | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney-Noumea | QF91 | 0740-1130 | Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday |
| Noumea-Sydney | QF92 | 1235-1455 | Monday, Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday |
| Brisbane-Noumea | QF89 | 1200-1505 | Saturday |
| Noumea-Brisbane | QF90 | 1605-1740 | Saturday |
Extra reward seats are also being made available on Qantas's partner Aircalin, but not every single seat.
So what's the fine print?
An Economy Classic Reward seat costs 18,000 Qantas Points one way. In Business, you'll need 41,500 Qantas Points.
You'll still have to pay carrier charges. These are around $119 per seat one way from Sydney and $116 from Brisbane.
The offer is blocked out for a handful of dates, mostly because of school holidays. These include the following:
- Flights from Australia 17 August to 21 August
- Flights from Australia 23 September to 4 October
- Flights from Australia 19 October to 24 October
- Flights from New Caledonia 3 August to 7 August
- Flights from New Caledonia 2 October to 12 October
When I checked, Business seats were already disappearing quickly. But remember, even Economy redemptions are still a decent value for your Qantas Points. The typical one-way fare from Sydney is $378. Factor in the carrier charge and you're getting $14 in value for every 1,000 Qantas Points you spend.
That's a little below my ideal benchmark of $20 per 1,000 Qantas Points. However, it's still a lot better than spending your points on appliances, and the fact you can choose from a huge number of flights might make it a worthwhile trade-off for you.
Qantas has run several Points Plane promotions this year. In March, it had a deal for New Zealand, and in May, it ran a promotion for QantasLink regional flights.
I didn't end up scoring a Kiwi flight, but I am doing a bunch of regional trips in August. And I really do want to score some French bread in Noumea soon. Time to start the flight hunt.
Want to keep your frequent flyer points balance growing? Check out the latest credit card sign-up deals.
Angus Kidman's Findings column looks at new developments and research that help you save money, make wise decisions and enjoy your life more.
Picture: Getty Images
