Starting October 18, 2023, Qantas is extending its ‘neighbour-free’ travel option to international passengers flying in Economy class. This move comes after the positive reception of the same offering on the airline’s domestic routes earlier this year.
Travellers flying from Singapore to Brisbane, Melbourne, and Perth, as well as those departing from Brisbane, Melbourne, and Sydney to various international destinations, can take advantage of this service.
Neighbour-Free will start from A$45 on trans-Tasman flights, A$100 between Australia and Singapore, and A$225 between Australia and America.
Here’s how it works: Qantas will send an email to customers who have reservations on flights with available empty seats 48 hours prior to their departure. In this email, they will have the option to choose a Neighbour-Free seat, but this choice isn’t confirmed until the actual departure. If customers do not ultimately secure a Neighbour-Free seat, they will receive a refund.
Passengers who have purchased additional services such as extra legroom, requested upgrades, are travelling with an infant, or have an unaccompanied minor in their booking will not qualify for this trial. Likewise, customers travelling as part of a group booking will also be ineligible for this offer.
International Qantas Flights offering Neighbour-Free trial
| From | Destination |
|---|---|
| Singapore | Brisbane Melbourne Perth |
| Brisbane | Auckland Christchurch Los Angeles Wellington (From 29 October 2023) |
| Melbourne | Auckland Christchurch Dallas Los Angeles Wellington |
| Sydney | Auckland Christchurch Dallas Honolulu Los Angeles San Francisco Wellington |
Additional international routes will be rolled out in the coming months following the evaluation of the initial trial.
Catriona Larritt, Qantas’ Chief Customer and Digital Officer shares “We’ve had a really positive reaction from customers who’ve opted to travel Neighbour Free on our domestic network and customers have told us they want the option on our international flights too. The data shows its most popular with customers on our longer flights between the east and west coasts, so rolling it out to our international flights makes a lot of sense. Whether they’re hopping across the Tasman or taking a longer flight to the United States, we think customers will value being able to secure some extra space.”
“International bookings can be a little more complex, which is why we’re starting with select routes and bookings without additional products to test our processes, before expanding the program in the coming months,” Larritt adds.
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