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by Devesh Agarwal
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| Qantas A380 welcomed with a water cannon salute |
Dubai based Emirates and Australian carrier Qantas have officially started their partnership.
The first Qantas flights departed from Sydney and Melbourne to London via Dubai on March 31.
In the partnership the two carriers will collaborate to deliver network, lounges, frequent flyer benefits and travel experiences over 98 flights a week between Australia and Dubai.
A white-paper providing an overview of the Emirates-Qantas partnership at a glance can be download here.
As part of the Qantas-Emirates partnership, there is a synchronisation in the services of the two airlines. The start also marks an enhancement in Qantas services to match those offered by Emirates.
- A return to a Middle East stopover for the Kangaroo route (Sydney-Dubai-London and Melbourne-Dubai-London) following a 30 year absence while it operated via Asia.
- Lounge access for eligible Qantas and Emirates passengers into either airline’s network in Australia, Asia, the Middle East, North Africa and the UK and Europe.
- Chauffeur Drive for Qantas Business and First Class passengers on flights (matching Emirates’ existing service).
- The ability to redeem existing Qantas Frequent Flyer or Emirates Skywards points for flights to 175 destinations worldwide, on both airlines.
- Reciprocal status recognition for frequent flyers across both networks (e.g. priority check-in for Qantas Gold Frequent Flyers when flying Emirates).
- Harmonised baggage policies, including an increase in Qantas’ Economy checked baggage allowance from 23kg to 30kg.
More details about premium class customer service enhancements are at the end of the story.
Tim Clark, President Emirates Airline. said
“The strength of this partnership stems from the fact the Emirates and Qantas brands are an excellent match. Emirates customers using a Qantas lounge or taking a Qantas flight will experience a level of service that is on par with what they expect from Emirates,”
Chief Executive Officer of Qantas, Alan Joyce said
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| Emirates-Qantas partnership flights map |
“From today, our customers from Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney have one-stop access to 65 destinations in the Middle East, North Africa, the UK and Europe via the joint Qantas and Emirates network.
“By travelling through Dubai, Qantas customers can connect to the extensive Emirates network into Europe and the UK and fly directly to their destination,”
“Before today, the Qantas network offered five one-stop code-share destinations into Europe and the UK with our partners. From today, we offer access to 32 destinations in Europe on the combined Qantas and Emirates network.
“The new network will cut average journey times by more than two hours from Melbourne and Sydney to the top 10 destinations in Europe,”
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| Emirates and Qantas A380s parked at Concourse A, Dubai International Airport |
Qantas Premium Class Enhancements
You can also download this document here.
