An expanded partnership with the Taipei-based carrier gives Australia residents even more options when traveling to Asia and Europe.
Business-class seats aboard a China Airlines Airbus A350. (Photo courtesy of China Airlines)
While it was possible for Qantas Frequent Flyers to redeem classic flight reward seats on China Airlines between Australia and Taipei in the past, members have just been granted full access to the Taiwanese flag carrier’s entire network, which covers more than 75 destinations around the world. This new development gives Aussie travelers another reason to break up an ultra-long-haul journey via Taoyuan International Airport.
Qantas Loyalty members can now travel from Sydney to Da Nang in economy class with 37,800 points, and fly business from Sydney to Taipei using 75,000 points. The base requirement for a business-class ticket from Melbourne to Amsterdam is 159,000 points; taxes, fees, and carrier charges are not included. With the expansion, Qantas Frequent Flyers will also get to book reward seats on China Airlines’ newly announced twice-weekly nonstop service between Taipei and Prague, launching on July 18. CAL plans to deploy Airbus A350-900s to the Czech capital, featuring 32 seats in business class, 31 in premium economy, and 243 in standard economy.
In a statement, Qantas Loyalty CEO Olivia Wirth commented, “Our network of more than 45 partner airlines means frequent flyers can use their Qantas Points to travel to more than 1,200 destinations around the world, and this expanded partnership means they have more options than ever.” She added that members who traveled to Taipei with China Airlines had given “great feedback” about the carrier, and said there were more than 5 million reward seats available for booking over the next year on Qantas, Jetstar, and partner airlines. Tens of thousands of those have been released thanks to Qantas’ recent decision to offer 50 percent more reward seats on international flights for an extra six months.
