In 2018, Air France-KLM and Qantas launched a partnership, initially consisting of a codeshare agreement. In 2019, that was expanded to also include reciprocal loyalty perks. There’s now a positive update, as the parties will cooperate even more closely, especially when it comes to loyalty.
Air France-KLM & Qantas partner for more connectivity
Air France-KLM and Qantas have just expanded their existing partnership, aimed at improving connectivity and enhancing the travel experience between Europe and Australia.
For the first time, Air France-KLM will be codesharing on Qantas’ flight between Paris (CDG) and Perth (PER), cutting around three hours off the previous fastest travel time between the two cities. This also means Air France is the only airline offering a codeshare on a direct Europe to Australia service.
Beyond that, Air France has established Tokyo Haneda (HND) as a new connecting point for Air France and Qantas flights, complementing existing connections at Singapore Changi (SIN) and Hong Kong (HKG). Passengers transiting these three connecting points can transfer to Sydney (SYD), Brisbane (BNE), Melbourne (MEL), Darwin (DRW), and Perth (PER).
The companies have already been offering frequent flyer reciprocity in terms of the ability to earn and redeem points across the airlines. However, that’s being expanded:
- Air France-KLM Flying Blue members now have the opportunity to redeem miles for travel in Qantas first class; not that there’s much award availability, but…
- Flying Blue Ultimate members now get access to Qantas First Lounges, which is a nice new perk, in line with what oneworld Emerald members would receive
Further “enhanced loyalty cooperation” is expected to be announced soon. Flying Blue only offers XP (the metric by which status is earned) for travel on SkyTeam flights, though I can’t help but wonder if Qantas may be eligible for XP accrual, as part of this development.
For Qantas travelers, this partnership is said to introduce greater connectivity to a wide range of destinations across France and beyond.
This is a logical, mutually beneficial partnership
Historically, we’ve typically thought of airline partnerships as being within alliances, or part of joint ventures. So this is a funny partnership, since Air France-KLM is in SkyTeam, while Qantas is in oneworld, and there’s no joint venture at play.
In the case of Qantas, I don’t think there’s an airline on earth that cares less about its alliance membership. Qantas’ closest partnership is with Emirates, while the airline has actively done what it can to block oneworld partner Qatar Airways. This has caused Qatar Airways to invest in Qantas competitor Virgin Australia, to grow its South Pacific presence.
Qantas of course also has a joint venture with American, though that’s a longstanding partnership that doesn’t seem to be directly about the alliance. With Qantas having Paris as one of its European destinations, it’s logical that the airline would want to create as much connectivity there as possible.
In the case of Air France-KLM, Qantas is obviously better than nothing, but that’s about it. It seems like the direct upside for Air France-KLM is pretty limited, if passengers are being booked on the Qantas long haul sector, and only flying Air France-KLM on the intra-Europe flight.
Then again, what else is Air France-KLM supposed to do for South Pacific connectivity? I suppose the airline could funnel more people through Seoul Incheon with connections on Korean Air, but it’s not exactly a huge station for Air France-KLM. While Garuda Indonesia and Vietnam Airlines are also part of SkyTeam, the partnership there isn’t otherwise that close.
Bottom line
Air France-KLM and Qantas have expanded their partnership. Air France is now codesharing on Qantas’ Paris to Perth flight, while Flying Blue members can now redeem miles for Qantas first class, and Flying Blue Ultimate members get Qantas First Lounge access.
There’s talk of more loyalty perks coming soon, so I’m curious to see what that entails. Despite the carriers otherwise not being terribly aligned, this is a logical collaboration, as there’s only upside for both airlines.
What do you make of Air France-KLM & Qantas expanding their partnership?
Membership is free and takes no more information than commenting as a guest. Earn status points for good contributions, and see fewer ads as your status grows.