Qantas ‘Year of Points Planes’ 2027

[TheInsider]

 

[mviy]

Points Planes for J/F on Sunrise in each direction about a month apart would be nice, but I would be very surprised if they made that available.

 

[J-P]

Points Planes for J/F on Sunrise in each direction about a month apart would be nice, but I would be very surprised if they made that available.

So 58 business & first seats? Which would go in 15 seconds and then return people here to complain again.

 

[fletty]

Yeah sounds misleading, every available seat can be booked as CR, but available doesn't mean every seat on the plane, just what they're willing to allocate.

 

[SYD]

Yeah sounds misleading, every available seat can be booked as CR, but available doesn't mean every seat on the plane, just what they're willing to allocate.

Well, if they’ve already sold seats they can’t really sell it again as a CR. We are talking about a flights in only a few months time!

 

[fletty]

Well, if they’ve already sold seats they can’t really sell it again as a CR. We are talking about a flights in only a few months time!

Yes, but they've exhausted CR availability on these 'points planes' but still have them available to purchase.

 

[Rocks]

See I actually disagree and it shows this promo is a scam.

Unless I'm struggling to understand, it clearly says every seat in all cabins as classic rewards.
View attachment 530722
Then it has these dates:
View attachment 530721
I'm very clearly searching SYD-HND here on the 5th of January and they are appearing as classic plus seats.
View attachment 530723

There are still even J class seats for sale as cash fares.
View attachment 530724

Thank you for this because I thought I was losing it...

That email is soooo incredibly misleading and makes it sound as though they are flights with all seats able to be booked through points

 

[SYD]

Yes, but they've exhausted CR availability on these 'points planes' but still have them available to purchase.

Apparently peeps will do anything to get on a “points” plane…

 

[Spacetravel]

Or try and mix ‘n match (points and $) to at least leverage one CR (with good availability).

Yes but 1 way international revenue bookings are almost the cost of a return, so the saving with a CR is gone. If the return points plane or other CR availability lines up with your dates its great but I’ve definitely had the situation before with a points plane where I wasn’t able to find a return flight and couldn’t use the points plane either.

 

[SYD]

Yes but 1 way international revenue bookings are almost the cost of a return, so the saving with a CR is gone. If the return points plane or other CR availability lines up with your dates its great but I’ve definitely had the situation before with a points plane where I wasn’t able to find a return flight and couldn’t use the points plane either.

No, you can book* a mixed CR (one way) and cash the other way. Quite handy if there’s a Sale on and you can book the outbound with $S and the return flight is ~353 days out**.

*there does seem to be some random exceptions to this as well as cabin restriction.
**use to work well pre-COVID but a bit hit ‘n miss now.

 

[MEL_Traveller]

No two ways about it. Every available seat means every seat that hasn’t already been sold to a fare paying passenger will be availablele as a CR.

Thats the literal english meaning.

I don’t understand how seats are still available for sale but not as rewards… unless… they know a certain percentage of people will cancel those awards and so they’re willing to oversell?

 

[Rich]

See I actually disagree and it shows this promo is a scam.

Agreed. Just after the Choice shonky awards were announced. Qantas getting in early for next time.

 

[offshore171]

Pretty cold in Tokyo / Japan in Jan, having been before.

It's fairly mild to be fair. Lots of clear skies, rarely snows, rarely below zero.

January is by far the biggest month for Australians travelling to Japan. Unusual indeed to see a points plane on offer.

Record ONE MILLION Australian travellers visited Japan during 2025 – up by 15%

www.japan.travel

 

[lovestotravel]

The challenge with these “points planes” is they’re usually only one way - so you need to get home somehow else.

However, the regular booking search ought to allow peeps to book points out and $s back.

I’d be looking at cheap days home now and try those as the return date when the point seats open.

Yeah I booked a points plane PER-LHR a year or so back for the Mrs. Of course, no way to get home on QF on points, and one way fares in J are silly pricing, so it was SQ on a J Saver...

 

[esseeeayeenn]

This needs to go to the ACCC.

The phrase "every available seat" can be twisted in all sorts of ways.
But calling these flights "points planes" is unambiguously misleading.
That clearly implies that every seat on each of these flights is available for booking with points.

The fact that this stunt is misleading is particularly egregious because it is just a stunt.
A stunt with no real benefit to most PAX.
To even potentially benefit you must:

• be in the departure city
• want to go to the destination
• be willing and able to travel on the relevant date.

Then you have to sit by your computer waiting for them to become available and compete for 20 odd seats in J.

There is nothing in this offer for PAX in PER as not one of the "partial points planes" departs from here.
Due to the current situation in the middle east, the flight to CDG doesn't even transit PER.
The return flight is scheduled to transit PER but we all know that may change unless the war suddenly ends.

It would benefit PAX in general a lot more if QF simply increased the CR inventory by a similar amount, spread across more flights.
They could still target strategic (underselling) routes in low season, achieving the same objectives for revenue maintenance.
And keep their accountants happy by reducing the long term indeterminate contingent liability of QF loyalty.

The sole reason they prefer this approach is because it is an advertising stunt.
It creates an illusion of CR availability out of all proportion to the actual hit on inventory.
Precisely because it is misleading: that is not incidental.

As a side note, I would hate to be on a genuine points plane where everyone has paid with points.
The PAX would all feel unusually entitled and the crew would feel the PAX were all freeloaders.
A veritable nightmare.

 

[Rich]

As a side note, I would hate to be on a genuine points plane where everyone has paid with points.
The PAX would all feel unusually entitled and the crew would feel the PAX were all freeloaders.
A veritable nightmare.

That's a bit presumptuous.

 

[Captain Halliday]

See I actually disagree and it shows this promo is a scam.

Unless I'm struggling to understand, it clearly says every seat in all cabins as classic rewards.
View attachment 530722
Then it has these dates:
View attachment 530721
I'm very clearly searching SYD-HND here on the 5th of January and they are appearing as classic plus seats.
View attachment 530723

There are still even J class seats for sale as cash fares.
View attachment 530724

Availability showing okay for me on the same date:


I'm also not surprised they're still selling revenue fares on these flights.

There may still be people who need to travel on these dates and don't have points available, or who may be traveling for work etc.

 

[fletty]

EF is now saying U2 X9 for QF59 and U9 X9 for QF25 so may have been a temporary thing?

 

[offshore171]

Availability showing okay for me on the same date:
View attachment 530744

I'm also not surprised they're still selling revenue fares on these flights.

There may still be people who need to travel on these dates and don't have points available, or who may be traveling for work etc.

Yes likewise, I am seeing an abundance of seats, including PE and J like your screenshot.

Quite unusual for January on that route