Qantas promises improved Frequent Flyer by April
"A significant investment for members" - but what will we actually get?
Qantas has said that long-promised improvements to its Qantas Frequent Flyer loyalty scheme will roll out by April this year.
"The Group is still working to finalise improvements to the Frequent Flyer program that will represent a significant investment for members, with the aim of announcing them by April," Qantas said in its first half 2024 results announcement, where it unveiled a $1.25 billion profit.
One key element of that is expected to be more reward seats.
The lack of flight redemption options remains a major concern for frequent flyer members.
Exclusive Finder research shows that 21% of Australians have tried to redeem rewards points for flights in the last 6 months.
However, 43% of those who did try said they either couldn't get a reward or it was more difficult and expensive than they expected.
Qantas Frequent Flyer now has 15.8 million members, Qantas said, which means competition for seats and other rewards is likely to remain tight.
Qantas first unveiled its plans to revamp Qantas Frequent Flyer availability in September last year, as it faced criticism on multiple fronts and became the subject of an ACCC investigation over allegedly selling tickets for already-cancelled flights.
"I know we have let you down in many ways, and for that I am sorry," CEO Vanessa Hudson said in a video at the time. "We haven't delivered the way we should have, and we've often been hard to deal with."
As another sop to regular passengers, Qantas is offering double status credits on bookings made this week.
Want to keep your frequent flyer points balance growing? Check out the latest credit card sign-up deals.
