How to fly to Europe with Qantas Points

Direct flight options

The choice of direct flights between Europe and Australia is perishingly small, so you can expect it to be practically impossible to find a points seat without booking far in advance.

Qantas

Availability: Poor | Charges: Average | In-flight experience: Good | Stops: 0-1

Being the national flag carrier, you would expect Qantas to be the easiest way to fly to Europe using Qantas Points. Unfortunately, this is not correct. Award seat availability is very hard to find in Business and First Class on international routes.

Multi-stop flight options

Flying between Europe and Australia generally means a stopover, which is quite a welcome break on such a long journey.

If you want to travel soon or take your family, you'll probably need a positioning flight in Australia. Broadening your destination airport choice can make it much easier to book a points flight. The same principle applies on the way back since departing from Dublin, Helsinki, or Stockholm instead of London can reduce airline charges significantly.

Qatar Airways

Availability: Good | Charges: Low | In-flight experience: Excellent | Stops: 1

You can fly to many European cities with Qatar Airways via Doha from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide. Reward seat availability has been consistently good. Their Business Class seat is renowned as one of the best in the world. Taxes and charges

Emirates

Availability: Good | Charges: High | In-flight experience: Excellent | Stops: 1

With flights to Europe via their hub in Dubai from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth, plenty of reward seats are available to book in Business and First Class. However, despite a reputation for a quality experience, their taxes and charges are so high that Emirates is now an unattractive redemption option compared to others.

American Airlines

Availability: Good | Charges: Low | In-flight experience: Good | Stops: 1

Often overlooked, American Airlines operates flights to several major European destinations, such as London, Paris, Rome, and Frankfurt, from several major Australian cities, including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, via the USA. Reward seat availability can be limited, especially during peak travel periods, but their carrier charges are competitive.

Japan Airlines

Availability: Average | Charges: Low | In-flight experience: Good | Stops: 1

Fly from Sydney and Melbourne to Tokyo and connect to Helsinki, Paris, Frankfurt and London Heathrow. Tokyo offers a good transit experience and is an excellent stop-off if you want to break up the trip. Japan Airlines' cabins are high quality with excellent Japanese food. Charges are low.

Cathay Pacific

Availability: Good | Charges: Average | In-flight experience: Good | Stops: 1

Connect from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide to a range of European capital cities. Although their Business Class product has a utilitarian feel, food and service are generally of high quality and their lounges — especially in Hong Kong — are among the best.

Other partner airlines worth considering

• British Airways. Flies from Sydney to London via Singapore. Extensive European network from London Heathrow and London Gatwick. Good redemption availability on short haul routes.
• China Airlines. Fly from Sydney, Melbourne, or Brisbane to Taipei, then onwards to Amsterdam, Frankfurt, London, Rome, and Vienna.
• Malaysia Airlines. Flies from Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth, and Adelaide to London via their hub in Kuala Lumpur.
• SriLankan Airlines. Fly from Sydney or Melbourne to Colombo and then to London, Paris, and Frankfurt. Sri Lanka is a fantastic spot for a stopover.

Summary