Qantas Business reward seats: Why new Qatar routes are such good news
New Melbourne and Canberra services make it a lot easier to use your points.
Qatar Airways has announced that it will be flying twice daily from Melbourne to Doha, doubling the number of flights it runs from the city.
And that's good news for anyone saving Qantas Points with a goal of scoring a business class seat to Europe.
Qatar is a member of oneworld, which means Qantas Frequent Flyer members can book Qatar services as Classic Reward seats.
And with those extra flights, your chances of scoring a Business seat go up.
I did a quick check for dates in October – Qatar launches the additional service on 1 October.
And I found Business Classic Reward seats fairly easily, though services that month seem to be getting snapped up fairly fast.
The new QR989 service actually starts in Canberra, and if you book a Classic Reward to Europe, it requires fewer points than a Qantas booking.
For instance, a one-way Business booking from Canberra to London requires 159,000 Qantas Points (plus $648 in carrier charges and taxes).
On Qantas itself, you're looking at 172,900 Qantas Points for the same route.
Qatar also runs flights from Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth. If you're aiming for a Business seat (or a oneworld Classic Flight Reward), it's worth thinking about.
Oddly, Qatar has also announced a local partnership with Virgin Velocity, though details haven't been unveiled. Once that happens, competition for rewards flights out of Australia will be tougher, so you might want to get in quickly.
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: Enoch Fong
