Qantas adds hundreds of Points Planes in August

Qantas is taking Points Plane to a new level on home soil, with more than 1,700 flights in August 2022 being made fully bookable with Qantas Points. Almost 130,000 Classic Flight Reward seats – mainly on flights to regional destinations – will be on offer across Business and Economy class.

And even better, Qantas is discounting the points needed in Economy class by 30%, for travel from 1 June to 30 November 2022. So if your points balance is healthy and your feet itchy, now’s the time to book yourself a winter getaway.

Qantas Domestic Points Plane [August 2022]

Want to see more of our beautiful country? Across the month of August, every seat on selected Qantas regional and domestic flights will be a reward seat. This means you can book a great-value ticket at fixed rates, rather than the pricier ‘Points Plus Pay’ options. Some regional flights can be quite pricey, so reward seats are handy.

The routes included are:

South Australia

• Adelaide to: Albury, Hobart, Mount Gambier, Newcastle, Townsville
• Melbourne to: Mount Gambier

Queensland

• Brisbane to: Albury, Coffs Harbour, Hobart, Port Macquarie, Proserpine, Tamworth, Wagga Wagga
• Adelaide to: Townsville
• Sydney to: Townsville
• Canberra to: Cairns, Sunshine Coast
• Perth to: Gold Coast
• Melbourne to: Townsville

Australian Capital Territory

• Canberra to: Cairns, Sunshine Coast

Victoria

• Melbourne to: Albury, Burnie, Coffs Harbour, Merimbula, Mount Gambier, Newcastle, Townsville, Wagga Wagga

Western Australia

• Perth to: Gold Coast, Hobart

New South Wales

• Sydney to: Broken Hill, Byron Bay, Griffith, Launceston, Merimbula, Mldura, Orange, Townsville, Uluru
• Brisbane to: Tamworth, Wagga, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Albury
• Melbourne to: Albury, Coffs Harbour, Merimbula, Wagga Wagga
• Adelaide to: Albury

Tasmania

• Adelaide to: Hobart
• Melbourne to: Burnie
• Sydney to: Launceston
• Perth to: Hobart
• Brisbane to: Hobart

Northern Territory

• Sydney to: Uluru

How do I book a reward seat on a Points Plane?

1. Log in to your Qantas Frequent Flyer account.
2. Perform a search for your desired dates, ensuring they match the Points Planes dates.
3. Ensure that Use points is selected.
4. Choose your flights, looking for Classic Reward seats.
5. Complete the checkout and make payment to reserve the seats.

Tips for securing that Points Plane booking early

1. Make sure you have the required Qantas Points in your account. If you don’t, a family transfer, buying some Qantas Wine or topping up your account are the quickest ways to boost your balance.
2. Be logged into your Qantas Frequent Flyer account on the Qantas website on the day the seats are released.
3. Have the search details all ready to go.
4. Ensure you select the correct flight number.
5. Skip selecting seats and special meals – you can do that later in Manage Your Booking.
6. Complete your payment quickly.

See our beginner’s guide on how to book reward seats with Qantas Points for more information.

Further information on the Points Plane series is below.

What is a Points Plane?

A Points Plane is a flight operated by Qantas or Jetstar where every available seat is bookable with points. Here’s how the airline describes the initiative:

The Qantas Points Plane is a flight exclusively reserved for Qantas Frequent Flyers, where every single seat, from First Class to Economy, is a Classic Flight Reward and can only be booked with Qantas Points.

– Qantas spokesperson

That might have been the case before, but now, you can also still buy cash fares on certain Points Planes.

Since launching this initiative in May 2019, Qantas Frequent Flyer has run numerous Points Planes across a wide range of destinations, including Tokyo and Los Angeles.

Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, with no preference given to those with elite status. Note these bonus reward seats are not available for booking through partner programs such as Cathay Pacific Asia Miles or Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan.

Why has Qantas launched the Points Plane initiative?

Qantas Frequent Flyer doesn’t often release a whole bunch of rewards seats. Points Planes are one solution to this, by making it easy to book certain flights.

Previous Points Planes have included the return leg of one-way charters, aircraft retirement flights, and the launch of new international routes during the pandemic.

Where have previous Points Planes gone?

Interested in a bit of light trivia? Here are the details of previous Qantas Points Planes.

Summing up

We love the Points Plane initiative from Qantas. It’s beneficial for members, who sometimes find it hard to find reward seat availability. And it also fills a plane with passengers, when the plane may have otherwise gone empty. Of course, you have to be flexible to match the dates of the Points Planes.

In more recent times, it’s also a way to celebrate significant milestones while flying during the pandemic. From international travel resuming to WA re-opening its border, Points Planes are there to kick off a new phase of travel.