Qantas launches Points Planes to London & Los Angeles

With international border restrictions officially being relaxed next month, Qantas is coming straight out with new international flights to London and Los Angeles from 14 November 2021.

Best of all – for the first week, all flights will be on a Points Plane. You can use your Qantas Points for any Economy, Premium Economy or Business Class seat on these Boeing 787 flights.

London & Los Angeles Points Planes in 2021

For the first 7 days of Qantas’ new flights between Sydney and London (via Darwin), as well as Los Angeles, every seat across all cabin classes will be available as a Classic Flight Reward.

That means if you have Qantas Points, you can take advantage of fixed-rate flight rewards in Economy, Premium Economy and Business Class! The schedule for these is 3 times a week.

Please note that over the next few months, the priority for the Australian Government is to return Australian citizens back to Australia. As such, return flights, and consequently, return Classic Flight Reward seats, are very hard to find within the new few months.

Remember, all Classic Flight Rewards are currently fully flexible, at least up to 28 February 2022.

The finer details on the travel experience are still being finalised with the Australian Government. But as a minimum, expect to:

• Take a PCR COVID test before departure (roughly $150pp)
• Be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, if eligible
• Quarantine at home for 7 days upon arrival back into NSW
• Use an internationally-recognised app that proves your vaccination status to other countries

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 it matches 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.

Since launching this initiative in May 2019, Qantas Frequent Flyer has run numerous Points Planes over 8 different offer periods.

Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, with no preference given to those with elite status.

Note these flights 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?

1. Airbus A380 from Melbourne to Tokyo in October 2019

The first Points Plane was an Airbus A380 flight with all 4 cabins (First, Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class). It flew from Melbourne to Tokyo Narita on 21 October 2019.

First and Business Class seats sold out within 30 seconds and 9 minutes, respectively. Premium Economy seats were gone within a day.

This plane was going to fly empty to pick up charter passengers from the Rugby World Cup, so it made sense for Qantas to fill it on the way there.

2. Airbus A330 from Tokyo to Melbourne in October 2019

The second Points Plane was released at the same time as the one above but on a smaller Airbus A330. This one actually has better Business Class seats but no Premium Economy.

Business Class sold out in 29 minutes.

3. Boeing 747 from Sydney to Los Angeles in October 2019

Qantas ‘celebrated’ the final flight of its Boeing 747 named Lord Howe Island, which is on its way to a plane graveyard in Arizona. Business, Premium Economy and Economy Class seats were released on this 13 October 2019 flight.

4. Jetstar flights from Australia to Japan in November and December 2019

This was the fourth Points Plane offer, but the first time that all available seats were made available on a number of different flights during a travel period.

Every available seat on Jetstar flights (return or one-way) departing from Cairns or the Gold Coast to Japan, and Jetstar Japan’s network, could be booked as a Classic Flight Reward with Qantas Points for travel from 12 November 2019 to 12 December 2019.

5. All Qantas flights to the Northern Territory in February and March 2020

Redeeming points for flights to the Northern Territory can be a good use of your points, especially to less-serviced destinations such as Ayers Rock (Uluru), that usually command a premium in pricing for both Economy and Business cabins.

In October 2019, Qantas ran a promotion opening up all Business and Economy Class seats for travel during February and March 2020 to the following destinations:

• Darwin
• Alice Springs
• Ayers Rock (Uluru)

6. Lord Howe Island in mid-2020

In late 2019, Qantas released a Points Plane deal to Lord Howe Island, one of the most difficult places to fly to in Australia. It’s also usually quite expensive – but with Qantas Points, it’s a great way to book.

• 8,000 Qantas Points + $86 in taxes for a one-way Economy Class flight
• 16,000 Qantas Points + $172 in taxes for a return Economy Class flight

This redemption represents great value at over 5c per point (more than double our valuation of Qantas Points.) In fact, it’s one of the best domestic Economy Class redemptions you can make.

7. New Zealand in April 2021

With the launch of the trans-Tasman bubble in April 2021, every Qantas flight was a Points Plane for the first three days of the bubble.

8. London and Los Angeles in November 2021

To celebrate Australia’s international borders relaxing, Qantas is launching thrice-weekly Boeing 787 flights to London and Los Angeles, from Sydney.

For the first week of travel, every flight will be a Points Plane as well.

Summing up

We love this initiative from Qantas. It’s beneficial for its members, who often find it hard to book good-value reward seats. And it also fills a plane with passengers, when the plane may have otherwise gone empty.

In more recent times, it’s also a way to celebrate significant milestones while flying during the pandemic.